Johnny Depp took the stand Tuesday as part of his defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard, denying her "heinous" abuse allegations.
Depp spoke in court as part of a legal battle against Heard, who accused him of domestic abuse. He testified he has never hit her, "nor have I ever struck any woman in my life."
The Pirates of the Caribbean star also spoke about the way the abuse allegations have affected the way he's perceived after they led to his exit from the Fantastic Beasts films.
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"It's been six years of trying times," Depp said. "It's very strange when one day you're Cinderella, so to speak, and then in 0.6 seconds, you're Quasimodo. I didn't deserve that, nor did my children, nor did the people who have believed in me all these years."
Depp is suing Heard over a 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post, in which she references becoming a "public figure representing domestic abuse." She never names Depp in the article, though she had accused him of abuse two years earlier amid their divorce. Depp previously sued a British tabloid that referred to him as a "wife beater," but he lost the case after a judge said a "great majority of alleged assaults of Ms. Heard by Mr. Depp" were proven.
On Tuesday, Depp told the court he came forward to "clear my name" and "stand up for my children," who have read "untrue" claims about him in the media. "Truth is the only thing I'm interested in," he said, adding, "I'm obsessed with the truth." He also said he isn't "embarassed" to be speaking about the case publicly "because I know that I'm doing the right thing."
Heard is also expected to take the stand in the trial, which should last about six weeks. In an opening statement, Heard's lawyers accused Depp of being an "obsessed ex-husband hellbent on revenge."
