Summary

  • Actress Amber Heard takes the stand in the defamation trial with her ex-husband Johnny Depp

  • After describing the romance of their early relationship, she alleges abuse

  • 'It would be accusations, accusations, and then he would explode,' she alleges

  • Depp sued Heard for $50m (£40m) over a Washington Post article, where she claimed she was an abuse victim

  • Heard then counter-sued Depp for $100m

  • Depp has given evidence already - the trial has heard accusations of violence on both sides

  • In his testimony, he denied ever striking a woman

  • Warning: This page contains accusations of physical and verbal abuse

  • You can visit bbc.co.uk/actionline for support

  1. Thanks for readingpublished at 22:10 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    It's now past 5pm in the US, Amber Heard has finished her evidence, and the day's hearings are over. Thanks for reading our live coverage.

    A reminder that if you have been affected by today's hearing, you can visit the BBC Action Line.

  2. Depp 'convinced flight attendant to take drugs on plane'published at 21:59 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Heard now alleges Depp became violent during a flight to Russia, in which he convinced a flight attendant to do drugs with the couple.

    According to Heard, Depp became heated when the flight attendant became "MDMA friendly".

    "After all, she's on drugs," she says, adding that Depp grabbed the flight attendant's arm in a fit of jealousy.

    "He grabbed her by the wrist and slammed it down on the table, and told her he could break her wrist," Heard adds. "These things would happen."

    Depp later accused Heard of having caused the incident, Heard adds.

    Once in Russia, Heard says an argument about the drug-induced incident on the flight eventually turned violent, with Depp allegedly shoving her into a glass table and striking her in the face.

  3. Heard: Depp was 'love of my life' while also an 'awful thing'published at 21:52 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Heard says that by mid-2013, she was torn by feelings that Depp was "the love of my life" and also an "awful thing".

    "When it was good, it was so good," Depp says. "I'd never felt love like that. I felt like he recognised me and I recognised him."

    However, Heard says that Depp often became "this other thing".

    "This other thing was awful," she adds. "It would come out and take over and you couldn't see the Johnny I loved."

    Heard also alleges that "no one was honest" with Depp about the extent of his drug and alcohol issues.

    "He'd pass out in his own vomit. He'd lose control of his own body," she says. "Then he'd walk around saying he didn't have a problem."

  4. Depp has previously denied abusepublished at 21:49 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Today, the court is hearing from Amber Heard. It previously heard from Johnny Depp. A reminder of some of his testimony:

    • "I never struck Ms Heard in that way, nor have I struck any woman in my life," he said
    • Heard's claims are "not based in any species of the truth"
    • "She has a need for conflict," he alleged. "She has a need for violence"
    • "It could begin with a slap. It could begin with throwing a TV remote at my head. It could be throwing a glass of wine in my face"
  5. BBC Action Linepublished at 21:37 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    This case involves accusations of domestic and sexual violence. If you have have been affected by this, or any other issues in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line.

  6. Depp conducted 'cavity search' on Heardpublished at 21:33 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    The following post contains allegations of sexual violence

    Amber Heard is describing an altercation with Depp on a trip to Hicksville, what she describes as a "fancy trailer park... in the middle of nowhere".

    The plan was to have a party in the desert, she says.

    All was well until a woman they were with suddenly "leaned into me, put her head on my shoulder and put her hand on my arm...I took it to be the effects of the drugs", she says.

    Members of their group had brought mushrooms and ecstasy.

    Depp became incensed, Heard says, and began shouting at the woman next to her.

    "He grabbed her wrist and said 'do you know how many pounds of pressure it takes to break a human wrist,'" Heard says, becoming increasingly emotional.

    According to Heard, the two returned to their trailer where the fighting intensified.

    Looking for his drugs, Depp "rips my underwear off and then proceeds to do a cavity search", Heard says, fighting back tears.

    "I just stood there."

  7. Heard: 'Backhand' from Depp left blood on wallpublished at 21:16 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    According to Heard, Depp "backhanded" her during an argument about the alleged affairs.

    "He wears a lot of rings," she says. "I remember feeling like my lip went into my teeth. It got a little blood on the wall."

    The court was also shown a picture - from around March 2013 - that Heard sent to her mother which shows a prominent bruise on her left arm.

    She says that the bruise was sustained during an argument in which she threw a vase at Depp.

    "He grabbed me by the arm and kind of held me on the floor screaming at me," she says.

    During these incidents, Heard explains, she "didn't make a big deal out of it" because she was "so caught up in the relationship".

    "I pride myself on being tough," she says.

  8. Watch: Heard accuses Depp of first slap over tattoopublished at 21:08 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Media caption,

    Depp 'slapped me across the face' over Wino tattoo

  9. Heard says Depp tried to burn painting over 'affair'published at 20:59 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Heard says that Depp accused her of having affairs during a particularly turbulent time in their relationship in 2013.

    "The month got really crazy," she says, after he allegedly began drinking spirits again.

    "He was accusing me of having affairs," she adds, calling it a "revolving door of accusations".

    In one instance, she alleges, a painting she owned - that had been painted by an ex - was seen as evidence of infidelity by Depp. She adds that he tried to burn it, unsuccessfully.

    "He wasn't making sense," she says. "He seemed to decide that the painting was an affair he couldn't forgive me for."

    The entire month was like a "never ending fight" with Depp. All the while, Heard adds, she was "madly in love" with him.

  10. Heard 'looked for clues' after Depp allegedly hid addictionspublished at 20:32 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Heard says Depp started sneaking the drink and drugs "so I had to look for clues".

    "He'd have this blowout, leave, disappear. I'd be committed to ending the relationship - he'd come back clean and sober and he'd be extra nice and extra apologetic and we'd be good again," she says.

    "Johnny on speed is very different from Johnny on opioids, Johnny on opioids is very different to Adderall and cocaine Johnny - but I had to get good at paying attention to the different versions of him."

    She says Depp's drinking correlated with the violence - adding that she told her therapist about the incidents as well as her mother.

  11. 'Accusations, accusations, then explosions'published at 20:24 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Amber HeardImage source, Getty Images

    Amber Heard is going over instances throughout 2012 when, she says, Johnny Depp was emotionally and physically abusive.

    "It would be accusations, accusations and then he would explode," she says, and Depp would slap her and "backhand" her.

    I was "walking on eggshells", she says, never knowing what she did wrong.

    Again, Heard describes a cycle: Depp would sober up and return to her repentant, loving and sober.

    Depp's alleged substance use has been a frequent theme at trial. Heard's team says Depp abused drugs and alcohol throughout the relationship.

    According to Depp, he was sober for much of their time together, after detoxing from the opioid Oxycodone in 2014.

  12. Second slap immediately followed first, says Heardpublished at 20:21 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    After Depp slapped Heard for the first time, she says, he slapped her again. She lost her balance, she says, and ended up on the carpet.

    After the incident, Heard says she received calls and texts from Depp apologising. Heard says Depp told her that he "killed that monster" and said "I'll never lay a hand on you again".

    Heard says she stayed in the relationship - but Depp started drinking again and began turning up at her house in the middle of the night "to catch her" cheating, as well as sending controlling texts.

    "He started punching walls next to my head," Heard says, adding that the violence would escalate "to the point he would push me or shove me down".

    "I would get back up and look him in the eye, it was my way of defending myself - he'd ask if we wanted to go again and he'd hit me and shove me down."

  13. BBC Action Linepublished at 20:13 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    This case involves accusations of domestic and sexual violence. If you have have been affected by this, or any other issues in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line.

  14. Heard accuses Depp of first slap: 'It changed my life'published at 20:10 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Heard is now describing the first time she claims Depp hit her. "I will never forget it - it changed my life," she says.

    "I was sitting on the couch, we were having a normal conversion, there was no fighting, no nothing. He was drinking and I didn't realise at the time, but I think he was using cocaine, he had a jar of cocaine.

    "I asked him about the tattoo he has on his arm, it looked like black marks, I didn't know what it said... and I asked him what it said - he said 'Wino'...

    "I laughed because I thought he was joking, and he slapped me across the face..."

    She adds: "And I laughed because I thought 'this must be a joke' - I didn't know what was going on.

    "I just stared at him, kind of laughing, still thinking he was going to start laughing and was going to tell me it was a joke.

    "He said: 'You think it's funny?'...

    "It was clear it wasn't a joke anymore. I stopped laughing but I didn't know what else to do."

  15. Heard describes 'pattern of escalation'published at 20:07 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Actor Johnny Depp listens next to attorney Ben Chew as his ex-wife, actor Amber Heard, testifies at Fairfax County Circuit Court during Depp's defamation case against her in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 4, 2022Image source, Getty Images

    After three weeks of trial, we are finally hearing Heard's own allegations of abuse.

    So far she's described a dream-like affair with Depp in their early days together.

    Now, she describes when their relationship took a turn, over the course of 2012.

    Depp would disappear for "days", she says, coming back to make disparing, demeaning comments about her.

    Depp "would make these comments about whoring myself out, but do so in the context of me acting," she says.

    But then, she says, the Depp she loved came back.

    "He would go back to this unbelievably nice, sensitive, kind, generous man," she says. "I would feel so loved."

  16. Heard describes buying knife as gift for Depppublished at 20:02 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    We heard earlier about the knife Heard bought for Depp - with Depp's lawyer suggesting it showed Heard did not fear Depp.

    Now, Heard has discussed the knife.

    She says she visited Depp while he was filming the movie Lone Ranger in the US. She would stay at his accommodation and wait for him to come home and have dinner ready.

    She says she would take off Depp's boots: "Anything I could do to show love."

    "Johnny had a thing for turquoise and he loved knives, and when he loves things he does a lot of it," she says.

    "He'd keep getting me daggers, long curved daggers and talked a lot about his knife and gun collection.

    "I picked up a beautiful turquoise handled knife with a saying Johnny would say all the time - 'until death.'"

  17. Early relationship in 'bubble of secrecy'published at 19:49 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Heard becomes emotional as she describes the early days of her relationship with Johnny Depp.

    They had to date in secret because his split - from long time partner Vanessa Paradis - was not yet public, she says.

    "It felt like a dream. It felt like absolute magic," she says, her voice breaking, describing their days as a "bubble of secrecy".

  18. Heard describes 'electric' connection with Depppublished at 19:47 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Actor Amber Heard reacts as she testifies at Fairfax County Circuit CourtImage source, Getty Images

    Heard describes reconnecting with Johnny Depp a couple of years after filming for the Rum Diary ended, during press promotion for the film.

    Meeting in Depp's hotel room at the start of the tour, Heard describes an "instant reconnection" with her former co-star.

    "It felt like there was an electricity," she says. "He grabbed both sides of my face. He kissed me and I kissed him back."

    Over the course of the press tour, she says "we fell in love".

    "It was on, I'll put it that way," she says.

  19. Watch: This is horrible, says Heardpublished at 19:43 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Media caption,

    Amber Heard testifies: Trial is 'painful and difficult'

  20. Heard rejected gifts Depp sent to her after filmingpublished at 19:42 British Summer Time 4 May 2022

    Heard says she and Depp were in relationships when filming for the Rum Diary started - but shared a "flirtatious friendship" on set.

    "I felt chemistry, I felt this other thing that went beyond the pale of my job and Johnny clearly felt that way too," Heard says.

    "But I remember feeling intimated and nervous about that so we went our separate ways and I didn't hear from him for a long time."

    She says she next heard from Depp when he called her to invite her to his Beverly Hills home, with the Rum Diary director, to talk about the movie .

    "But it was clearly not about the movie," Heard adds.

    "So I said my friends were in town, I hung up and felt startled. I didn't know what to do."

    She said Depp sent her numerous gifts after filming wrapped - including a dress she wore in the movie, expensive collectable books, and some guitars - adding that she rejected the gifts on two occasions.