Johnny Depp split from long-time girlfriend (and the mother of his two children) Vanessa Paradis back in June of 2012, but in the year since, he's been pretty mum about the whole thing -- until now.

"The last couple years have been a bit bumpy. At times, [it was] certainly unpleasant, but that's the nature of breakups, I guess, especially when there are kiddies involved," Depp told the new issue of Rolling Stone.

"Relationships are very difficult. Especially in the racket that I'm in, because you're constantly away or they're away, and so it's hard," he revealed. "It wasn't easy on her. It wasn't easy on me. It wasn't easy on the kids."

The good news is that the former couple's children -- 14-year-old Lily and 11-year-old Jack -- have remained a top priority during the split.

"You'll always know each other, and you're always gonna be in each other's lives because of those kids. You might as well make the best of it," Depp said, going on to explain that making sure his son and daughter were okay was of utmost concern to him.

"They've been incredibly understanding. Incredibly strong throughout the whole ordeal."

You can read the whole interview in the new Rolling Stone when it hits newsstands (or your iPad) on July 4th.

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