Amber Heard took the stand for the first time today, on the 14th day of her ex-husband Johnny Depp‘s defamation trial against her.
The trial day began with the continued testimony of a psychologist hired by Heard’s defense, Dawn Hughes. The domestic violence expert claimed Heard suffered PTSD from sexual and physical abuse at the hands of the former Pirates of the Caribbean actor.
Previously, a psychologist hired as an expert by Depp’s camp claimed in her estimation Heard was faking her PTSD symptoms, and suffered from histrionic personality disorders. For her part, Hughes disputed that testimony Wednesday.
When Heard took the stand around 2 p.m. Eastern time, she recalled meeting Depp on their 2011 film The Rum Diary and having instant chemistry with him, although they were both apparently still married to other people.
Both before and after her separation, Depp pursued her, Heard alleged, and when they were both single, they began seeing each other. Their relationship see-sawed between “sweet velvety love” to physical abuse, brought on by Depp’s abuse of drugs and alcohol, the actress claimed.
Heard described in detail being allegedly physically and sexually assaulted by Depp, and living with what she called, “the rage, the uncontrolled violence.”
Heard’s testimony painted herself as the blameless victim, willing to do anything to try to keep their relationship together in spite of nearly constant abuse from the actor — quite the opposite of testimony from Depp last week.
“When it was good it was so good…there was just something there that — he was the love of my life,” Heard testified.
“But he was also this other thing! This awful, awful thing that would come out and take over, and you couldn’t see the Johnny I love underneath it.”
Heard’s testimony will resume Thursday, after which Depp’s lawyers can cross-examine her.
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