JOHNNY DEPP - DEPP PROUD OF PIRATE TAN

Hollywood heart throb JOHNNY DEPP is thrilled with his healthy suntan after spending years looking as "white as a ghost".

The CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY star is currently in the middle of nine months of back-to-back filming for the two sequels to PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, and is proud of the tropical glow he's acquired.

He says, "This is what happens when you spend three months in the Caribbean, and most of that time is on a boat.

"I remember spending years looking as white as a ghost, and feeling like one, so I guess you could say I'm enjoying a more comfortable lifestyle these days.

"I'm so dark now I don't even have to use sunblock."

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, the first sequel, is due for release in July 2006.