The Mad Hatter of 'Alice in Wonderland' insists he never hit his former wife during a heated argument after the actress allegedly laughed at his 'Wino Forever' tattoo.
- Jul 9, 2020
AceShowbiz - Johnny Depp has denied hitting his ex-wife Amber Heard after she "laughed" at one of his tattoos reading "Wino Forever" during a libel trial at London's High Court.
The actor is suing U.K. tabloid The Sun, its publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, over a 2018 article which referred to him as a "wife-beater" in relation to domestic violence allegations made by Heard, which Depp has repeatedly denied.
On Wednesday (08Jul20), Depp entered the witness box for a second day, where he was cross-examined by The Sun's lawyer, Sasha Wass, who put to him Heard's allegations of domestic abuse.
The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star denied hitting the "Aquaman" actress, who he was married to from 2015 to 2017, on any occasion, including in 2013, when she allegedly laughed about one of his tattoos reading, 'Wino Forever,' an inking altered from a tribute to his ex, Winona Ryder.
"I did not hit Ms. Heard and furthermore I have never hit Ms. Heard," Depp said, according to The Hollywood Reporter, before adding, "I don't recall any argument about any of my tattoos."
Wass claimed that when the incident happened, he was "acting like a wino and an alcoholic and felt very sensitive," with the 57-year-old agreeing he had broken his sobriety but saying he did not hit Heard.
He also denied striking his ex-wife after allegedly becoming enraged by a painting by her former partner, artist Tasya Van Ree, that hung in the actress' bedroom. Although he acknowledged he "could be jealous" he claimed he did not take the painting off the wall, nor try to set it on fire, or slap his ex.
She has submitted details of 14 occasions when she claims she was assaulted, but he rejected each as "patently untrue." The star has accused his ex of fabricating her domestic violence allegations, which first surfaced in 2016, when she filed for divorce and sought a restraining order.
In written statements, the star told the court Heard had encouraged him to take alcohol and drugs and did not support him in his efforts to get sober, and that he had seen Heard, 34, take cocaine during their relationship.
The court was also told that some of the cross-examination would be heard in private, with no media access. The trial, which began on Tuesday, and is set to feature Depp's exes Ryder and Vanessa Paradis giving evidence in his defence, is expected to last three weeks.
