In a relationship, there are almost always two versions. In the case of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp they are absolutely opposite. The actress testified in court on Wednesday that her husband not only beat her and psychologically abused her, but also sexually abused her, according to her account, contrary to what Depp exposed to the jury in recent weeks.
The actress began by exposing the pain that has caused her to see their relationship exposed and aired for weeks in court the way it has happened: “I find it hard to find the words to describe how painful this is. It’s horrible for me to sit here for weeks and relive it all. Hearing people I’ve met, my ex-husband, with whom I’ve shared a life, talk about our lives as they have… This is the most painful and difficult thing I’ve ever been through. Sure”.
Heard, just turned 36, has been sued by Depp, 58, who alleges that an article she published on The Washington Post in 2018 caused irreparable damage to his acting career. In it, Heard defined herself as “a public figure who represents domestic abuse” and said that she had verified in her flesh that “institutions protect men accused of abuse”, although she did not mention Depp. Her demand makes her responsible for the millionaire cancellation of the saga Pirates of the Caribbean, Depp’s biggest hit.
Heard declared Wednesday afternoon before the Fairfax (Virginia) court that he is handling the case. She was dressed in a suit with a dark jacket and trousers with an inner vest and a blue shirt with white stripes, buttoned up to the top. She was parted to the right, with part of her hair tied up with bobby pins and the rest of her blonde hair covering part of her face. In front of her, Johnny Depp, with dark glasses, his pirate ponytail and a striped tie, kept his head slightly lowered, avoiding meeting his gaze with that of his ex-wife throughout his statement. Every once in a while she winced, like when Heard talked about sharing life. She sometimes made comments to her lawyer.
From love to nightmare
The actress began by telling how they had met, how there was chemistry between them, how they fell in love despite their age difference and ended up together. He was “kind”, “generous”, he treated his parents well. She remembered a knife they bought together that was engraved in Spanish: “Hasta la muerte.” But what seemed like a fairy tale turned into a nightmare.
Heard believes that the drugs changed the way Depp was. “Johnny with speed he’s very different from Johnny on opiates; Johnny on opiates is very different from Johnny on cocaine. He had to learn to pay attention to the different versions of him.”
First she felt intimidated. She spoke of a trip to the Bahamas where they had an argument over her problems with drugs and alcohol. She “she grabbed me by the neck, held me for a second and told me that she could kill me and that it was a shame”, according to her statement.
Heard also spoke of the first time Depp hit her, after she asked him about a tattoo, for something “stupid and insignificant”, in her opinion. That she at first thought it was a joke and laughed. He slapped her again and then again, harder and he insulted her too. Through tears, she said that it changed her life. “I knew I couldn’t just forgive him, because it would happen again. I wish I would have gotten up and walked out of that house,” she said. Depp has repeatedly denied hitting his ex-wife or any other woman.
The actress, on the other hand, also accuses him of sexually abusing her. He described a scene on a desert party trip in RVs. Depp first had an argument with another woman who was with them. Then they went to the caravan and argued. He got violent, hit and threw things, yelled at Heard, according to his version. He was looking for some drugs that didn’t appear, he blamed her and then he touched her, always according to her account: “He took off my underwear and told me: ‘Let’s do a search in the cavity’. He said that he was looking for her cocaine. (…) he put his fingers inside me, ”said the actress between sobs.
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