Amber Heard testifies for the first time, details abuse by Johnny Depp

Amber Heard testified in a Virginia courtroom on Wednesday about her relationship with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, who is suing Heard in a $50 million defamation case.

Amber Heard held back tears as she testified that her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, physically abused her during their brief marriage.

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Heard, 36, detailed years of alleged abuse at the hands of Depp over the course of more than two hours.

In his lengthy testimony in the case at the Fairfax County Circuit Court, Depp denied committing violence against Heard.

She claimed it all started with slaps after she laughed at one of his tattoos which progressed to a cocaine “cavity search” of her body.

Amber testified in the widely publicised U.S. defamation case brought by Johnny, claiming the actors had a “magical” relationship until it became violent.

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She claimed Johnny’s first physical outburst occurred after she inquired about the meaning of one of his faded tattoos. He responded, “Wino,” she said, and she laughed, believing it was a joke. She stated, “He slapped me across the face,” she said. “I didn’t know what was going on. I just stared at him.” Amber said he slapped her twice more and said “you think it’s funny, bit**?” he slapped her twice more, Amber claimed.

“I just laughed because I thought he was joking,” she told People. She went on to say that she will “never forget” that moment because it “changed my life.” Previously, he testified that the fight over the “Wino” tattoo, which was originally the name of his ex-girlfriend Winona Ryder, “didn’t happen.”

Amber claimed Johnny assaulted her “several times,” usually while intoxicated or high on drugs. 

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Johnny, 58, previously testified in the trial that he never hit her and that she was the one who abused her.

Depp is suing Heard for an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018, in which she advocated for a change in how the United States treats abuse survivors and urged support for the Violence Against Women Act.

Depp sued Heard for defamation on three counts, demanding at least $50 million in compensatory damages and at least $350,000 in punitive damages, as well as attorney expenses and court costs.

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Heard has filed a countersuit against Depp claiming $100 million in damages and alleging that Depp’s legal team unjustly accused her of fabricating allegations against him.

The story of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has taken several turns, with both accusing the other of physical assault and toxicity. After having known one other for six years, they divorced in 2017.