The trial between former actor couple Johnny Depp (58) and Amber Heard (36) has resumed. Heard reappeared on the witness stand and was grilled by Depp’s attorneys. “If I hadn’t been separated from him, I wouldn’t have survived.”
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An opinion piece Amber Heard wrote for The Washington Post is the basis of this lawsuit. She said she was a victim of domestic violence. The piece does not mention Depp by name, but he still sues Heard for defamation over that piece. “It’s not about Johnny. The only person who thought it was about Johnny is Johnny,” Heard said in court on Monday. ‘It’s about me. It’s about me after I escaped my marriage. I went on with my life. It’s about my life, what I’ve been through. The only person who made the article about him is himself.’
Heard said he tried to convince Depp not to go to court. “There were photos, witnesses, my wounds were documented… I said, do you think people are going to believe this is a hoax?” Heard said she wanted to protect Depp. “I didn’t want him to do this. I loved him so much. I didn’t want this to hurt him. I don’t want this to hurt him,” she said.
Hide with makeup
Heard was confronted in court with audio recordings in which she said she had punched Depp. But she had only done that to defend herself, Heard said. “I could never hurt Johnny.”
The actress also denied that she faked injuries and vandalism for her photos. Depp’s lawyers confronted Heard with images that showed no trace of the violence she had just experienced, according to her statements. Heard explained that she immediately applied ice to reduce the swelling and that she had become very good at covering up her injuries with makeup.
The actress’s lawyers had already claimed during the trial that she always wore a make-up set before that. After the makeup brand listed announced that their product didn’t exist at the time, Heard now said it “wasn’t the exact product, of course,” but something similar.
‘Hope became less and less’
Heard finally talked about the decision to divorce Depp. “At the time, it felt like the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I had worked so hard to make the relationship work. I went to therapy, I read books, I sought help. But it didn’t help,” Heard said.
‘I knew if I didn’t (divorce from the actor, ed.)that I literally wouldn’t survive. I was so afraid it would end very badly for me. I didn’t want to leave him alone. I loved him. So much. I would have done anything, but I couldn’t stay. The hope I had was diminishing. The monster had become the normal, no longer the exception. The violence had become the norm. It was so hard. I knew I had to do it. He would have gone too far and I wouldn’t have been here again.’
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