Amber Heard took to the stand for the second time on May 5 to give testimony in Johnny Depp's $50 million defamation case against her.
The actress—who is countersuing Depp for $100 million in damages—told the jury about her ex-husband's substance abuse issues, detailed instances of alleged violence she said he inflicted on her and referenced his relationship with ex-girlfriend Kate Moss.
Heard, 36, mentioned a rumor that Depp once pushed supermodel Moss down a flight of stairs when they were dating.
The Aquaman star described an incident at their home in 2015 when her sister Whitney was present.
Heard told the courtroom that Depp swung at her sister who was standing at the top of a staircase, which prompted her to hit him.
"She threw herself in the line of fire," Heard said of her sister. "She was trying to get Johnny to stop. Her back was to the staircase, and Johnny swings at her... I don't hesitate and wait; I instantly think of Kate Moss and stairs."
"I don't hesitate. I just instantly think of Kate Moss and the stairs, and I swung at him. In all my relationships to date, I hadn't [delivered] a blow. For the first time, I hit him square in the face."
Heard previously referenced this rumor during Depp's 2020 libel trial against The Sun newspaper.
"He pushed Kate Moss down the stairs, I heard this from two people, and this was fresh in my mind," she said at the time, per The Independent.
Depp and Moss were famously an It couple of the 1990s and dated from 1994 to 1997. Depp blamed the breakup on himself, telling Hello magazine in 1998: "I was difficult to get on with, I let my work get in the way and I didn't give her the attention I should have done."
Moss has never accused Depp of being violent during their relationship, but rumors about a volatile argument spread in 1994 when he admitted to trashing a hotel room. He was later arrested for criminal mischief.
In 2012, Moss described their break up as a "nightmare," telling Vanity Fair: "There's nobody that's ever really been able to take care of me. Johnny did for a bit. I believed what he said. Like if I said, 'What do I do?' he'd tell me.
"And that's what I missed when I left. I really lost that gauge of somebody I could trust. Nightmare. Years and years of crying. Oh, the tears!"
Both Heard and Depp's representatives issued statements on Thursday after the actress detailed the alleged abuse she experienced at the hands of her ex.
"While Ms. Heard's stories have continued to grow new and convenient details, Mr. Depp's recollections have remained exactly the same throughout the six painful years since her first allegations were made," Depp's spokesperson said in a statement to People. "His truth—the truth—is the same no matter the environment in which it has been presented."
Meanwhile, Heard's team told Newsweek: "One of Ms. Heard's disappointments is Mr. Depp's inability to distinguish fact from fiction—a malady which appears to have spread to his legal team.
"That same team is so panicked they are fighting tooth and nail to prevent compelling evidence and photos from being introduced. Small wonder Mr. Depp does not have the fortitude or courage to even look at Ms. Heard at all throughout the proceedings—as he could not in the U.K. trial—and, instead he doodles and snickers."
The trial continues.
