Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's divorce: Is Barnaby Joyce to blame?

By Kellie Scott.

Barnaby Joyce “attacking Pistol and Boo” is to blame for the rumoured divorce of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, according to celebrity agent Max Markson.

Court records published by TMZ show that Heard submitted the petition to a court in Los Angeles on Monday. The couple have been married for 15 months.

The news comes less than a week after the death of Depp’s mother and after a year of “Depp’s dogs” drama after the couple illegally brought their dogs Pistol and Boo into Australia.

Australian celebrity manager Mr Markson told the ABC the Deputy PM’s approach to the Yorkshire terriers sparked a series of events that would have caused enormous stress for the couple.

“If he didn’t attack their dogs … they would still be happily married,” Mr Markson said.

He said the court case and having to feature in a “spectacularly scripted and produced movie which the producers of Game of Thrones would be proud of” would have also caused turmoil in the relationship.

“It’s obviously still affecting Johnny Depp and just the other night on Jimmy Kimmel he compared Barnaby to a tomato,” he said.

Earlier today Mr Joyce said he did not revel in the news.

“In all seriousness, the one thing I will never revel in is any relationship breakdown, no matter what animosity that might be seen on the airwaves between Mr Depp and myself,” he said.

‘Couple probably already on shaky ground’

But relationship counsellor Desiree Spierings said it was more likely the couple were already “on shaky ground” and the past year had just added to their problems.

“Every relationship will get stressful times but it’s really about weathering storms together, not against each other,” she said.

She said although celebrities were used to being in the spotlight, Heard and Depp had experienced a lot of negative attention.

“Those pressures may have not been what they like to portray as the image of themselves,” Ms Spierings said.

She added that Heard filing for divorce after Depp’s mother’s death may not be as insensitive as it seems.

“It could have been done out of respect, if someone is sick in the family, they might not want to add to that stress,” she said.

“She may have been waiting [until after her death] to make that call.”

Don’t separate Pistol and Boo: animal lawyer

Meanwhile, an animal lawyer has weighed in on the pups’ future.

Tracey Jackson from Couper Geysen Family and Animals Law said Depp and Heard should resist temptation to split Pistol and Boo.

“In our experience, we would recommend Pistol and Boo are not separated from each other,” she told the ABC.

“As tempting as it may be for them to take a dog each, dogs are not a piece of furniture, and separating from each other is unlikely to be in the best interests of Pistol and Boo if they are a bonded pair.

“It could cause anxiety and behavioural issues if they are separated after being bonded for a long period of time.”

She said she would be happy to assist them to draft consent orders to share time with Pistol and Boo.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.