Amber Heard took to the stand to kick off the first day of Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against her since the trial took a weeklong break. Monday marked Heard’s third day on the stand, as well as the beginning of the trial’s fifth of six expected weeks. Heard’s testimony Monday focused primarily on the final months of the couple’s marriage, which lasted from 2015 to 2016.
“It was a very violent, chaotic, at times, very loving, emotional relationship. So as anyone can imagine, there was a lot going on,” Heard testified. “Unfortunately, the violence became almost normal. Especially towards the end, it was just — and it’s hard to even — it’s hard to say that now but the violence was almost normal.”
According to Heard’s testimony, Depp was hallucinating and his sobriety had completely collapsed in the final months of their marriage. She also revised earlier testimony about the timing of the first time she says she was physically assaulted by Depp. Heard initially said that happened in 2013, but she said Monday that it actually happened in 2012.
“I would have liked to have believed that the period of time in which I had to fall in love with Johnny, in which we fell in love and he was sober and he wasn’t violent to me, lasted for a lot longer than it did,” Heard testified. “I think I would have liked to have believed that I wasn’t hit so early in the relationship and still stayed.”
Highlights of Monday’s testimony in the defamation trial also included a denial of an accusation from Depp that Heard left human fecal matter in the couple’s bed after a fight. The allegation is one of several that Depp’s online fans have latched onto in their social media critiques of Heard.
In denying the prank, Heard said it was the couple’s teacup Yorkshire terrier that messed the bed. According to Heard, the dog had a history of bowel problems ever since it had accidentally ingested Depp’s marijuana.
“I don’t think that’s funny. I don’t know what grown woman does. I was not in a pranking mood,” Heard testified.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
