Amber Heard has admitted striking Johnny Depp in multiple fights during her cross-examination.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star's $50 million (£38 million) defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, centred on a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which Heard claimed she had become 'a public figure representing domestic abuse', resumed this week in Virginia.
Depp's attorneys have accused Heard of orchestrating an elaborate 'hoax' with the 'clear implication' he was an abuser, coming after he lost his libel case against The Sun because the judge ruled claims he was a 'wife-beater' to be 'substantially true'.
Yesterday, 17 May, Depp’s attorney Camille Vasquez grilled Heard over allegedly contradictory accounts of his abuse, as well as the lack of medical records for injuries she sustained and her claims regarding Depp's severed finger.
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Vasquez also played a number of audio recordings in which Heard taunted Depp, describing him as a sellout and a 'joke'. In one clip, she sarcastically said: "If only I could be like you."
The lawyer also suggested to Heard that it was Depp who got her the role of Mera in Aquaman, to which she replied: "No, I got myself that role by auditioning."
In other text messages and recordings, Heard could be seen calling Depp a 'monster' and heard asking him not to leave during arguments. She said she was trying to prevent the him from taking drugs.
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She said: "This is what would happen when Johnny would move into the next cycle – he decided to use, and our lives would get a lot worse. I was trying to stop him from using... I would try everything to stop the cycle. It was that important to me."
Heard admitted to striking Depp multiple times during arguments, but insisted it was always in self-defence.
She said: "There are many times I had to use my body to defend myself, and that included slapping wherever I could.
"If it meant I could get away, absolutely, or the difference between a sore face and a broken nose... I tried to defend myself when I could, but it was after years of not defending myself.”
In an earlier recording, Heard also admitted hitting Depp but strenuously said she didn't 'punch' or 'deck' him, and told him to 'grow up', as well as calling him a 'baby'.
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Earlier this week, Heard explained: "“The disparity of how he would proactively punch me and I would have to resort to reactively hitting him.
"I’m talking about the difference between a punch, which Johnny did often, and me having to hit him in my defence.
“Even if he wasn’t twice my size, they’re very different and I’m pointing out the difference to him.”
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Topics: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Film and TV
