CALIFORNIAーActress Amber Heard, 34, stepped up to the witness stand on The Sun’s behalf this week starting July 20 during Johnny Depp’s libel trial against the British tabloid. 

The Sun’s executive editor, Dan Wootton, published an article back in 2018 labeling him as a “wife-beater” with “overwhelming evidence” after Heard had come out with allegations suggesting that she had been abused by Depp during their marriage. Depp, 57, gave his testimony earlier in the trial with multiple witnesses standing behind him. 

Heard was then called to the witness stand this week to give her testimony. Heard spoke on a few incidents that happened throughout their marriage, one being an incident early in 2013, referring to a conversion Heard and Depp had about one of his tattoos. Heard said that she had asked him about a tattoo that spelled out “Winona” as reference to his ex, actress Winona Ryder. Heard said he responded that he had changed the tattoo to “Wino.” According to Heard, when she had laughed about the name change, Depp struck her three times. She said, “It felt like my eye popped out.” 

Heard also spoke about the Australia incident in 2015, when major claims of domestic abuse allegations came out against Depp. Heard said that Depp was throwing bottles at her “like grenades or bombs.” Depp told the High Court that it was Heard who threw a large vodka bottle at him, causing it to shatter and cut off the tip of his finger. Heard countered that claim saying that Depp severed his finger on his own doing, stating that he ripped off a phone from the wall and smashed it against her face repeatedly.

However, in 2016 and 2018 both actors gave video depositions following Heard’s allegations. According to Depp, Heard had another scenario of the incident saying: “she says that I did it myself, by punching a wall.”

Heard has denied all claims that she was violent toward Depp and said that she endured “punching, slapping, kicking, head-butting and choking,” during the time of their marriage. Though on Monday, she did admit to throwing pots and pans at Depp at one point, but was only doing it in her words, “only to escape from him.” She said that in light of his substance abuse that she was “afraid he was going to kill me, either intentionally or just by losing control and going too far.”

Heard added, “Johnny, when he was clean and sober, could be a wonderful person, generous, loving. He’s a remarkable man when he’s like that and I loved him. The other side of him was a monster but I always held out hope he would get clean and sober.”

Depp had denied the incidents, stating that he would walk away or hide in bathrooms to avoid further confrontation whenever the couple got into a fight.

“I thought it important that we separate before things got out of hand,” Depp said.

Thursday, July 23, was Heard’s last day to testify after four days this week. The trial is expected to come to a close next Tuesday, July 28. Another case between the two will be held in the U.S. sometime in August as Depp is also suing Heard for defamation.