The 'Aquaman' actress is expected to take the witness stand in the same week as her ex-husband's former girlfriends are scheduled to testify on his behalf.
- Jul 11, 2020
AceShowbiz - Johnny Depp's exes, Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis, are expected to testify on his behalf at his libel trial in England next week (beg13Jul20).
Their names were mentioned during court proceedings on Friday, the fourth day of the case at London’s High Court.
Depp, who is suing The Sun newspaper over a 2018 article in which he was called a "wife beater," has appeared on the stand throughout this week. His ex-wife Amber Heard, who accused him of abuse during their marriage, is also expected to testify next week.
She'll appear in person while Ryder and French singer and actress Paradis - the mother of Johnny's two children - are expected to testify via video link, according to Sky News.
Both have previously given statements supporting the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star, and insisting he was never violent with them.
During the first four days of the trial, Depp opened up about battling alcoholism towards the end of his relationship with Paradis, writing messages in blood on a mirror after slashing his finger open on a broken bottle allegedly thrown at him by Heard during a row at their rental home in Australia, and accidentally headbutting his ex-wife during another altercation.
During his final day of testimony on Friday, Depp claimed Heard used to chop lines of cocaine for him and leave a shot of whiskey beside his bed as he was trying to get clean, with his lawyer telling the court the actor's ex was not always "entirely supportive in terms of the challenges" he faced with alcohol and drugs.
Barrister David Sherbourne also referenced correspondence between Heard and a friend about the availability of hallucinogenic mushrooms during a trip to the Bahamas.
After his lawyer read out the texts, Depp told the court, "It seems that she was looking for, trying to acquire drugs, mushrooms."
Sherbourne also revealed drugs were a big part of the couple's wedding celebrations, asking his client, "And were there drugs at the wedding and rehearsal dinner?" prompting Depp to answer, "Yes."
The actor also told the court that his ex-wife kept a bottle of bourbon in the freezer for him, adding, "A shot would be poured when I arrived, even if Ms Heard was asleep. When I arrived there would be a shot of whiskey on the nightstand."
"She would chop cocaine for me but she wouldn’t ingest it through her nose... she would rub it on her gum," he added.
Depp has maintained the allegations of abuse levelled against him by Heard are false, insisting he was often the victim during heated rows.
He is also suing Heard for defamation related to a 2019 Washington Post article she wrote, in which she referred to herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse."
