Amber Heard emotionally testifies about alleged Johnny Depp abuse

Amber Heard
(Image credit: ELIZABETH FRANTZ/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Amber Heard took the stand in the "painful" Johnny Depp defamation trial's fourth week.

The Aquaman star testified Wednesday amid her defamation battle with her ex-husband, whom she has accused of domestic abuse. He's suing her over an op-ed she published in 2018.

"I struggle to find the words to describe how painful this is," Heard testified. "This is horrible for me to sit here for weeks and relive everything."

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Heard described falling in love with Depp after working with him on the film The Rum Diary. "When I was around Johnny, I felt like the most beautiful person in the world," she said. But Heard alleged the Pirates of the Caribbean star would drink, become violent, and throw things, including a glass. She became emotional as she described the first instance of physical abuse in the relationship, recounting an incident where she alleges he slapped her across the face multiple times.

"I knew that I had to leave him, and that's what broke my heart because I didn't want to leave him," she said. "I thought if I got up out of that room, I'd leave the best thing that ever happened to me."

Heard said she stayed in the relationship because Depp apologized and promised he would never hit her again, but she alleges the physical abuse continued and that he later sexually assaulted her.

Depp previously testified he has never hit Heard, "nor have I ever struck any woman in my life."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.