Johnny Depp libel trial: Amber Heard says reliving break-up was ‘incredibly painful’

Actress says she would have preferred to have not given evidence in high-profile case

Amber Heard has said it has been “incredibly painful” reliving the break-up of her relationship with her former husband Johnny Depp as part of the actor’s libel action against The Sun newspaper.

Ms Heard made a statement on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice in London as the trial was drawing to a close on Tuesday afternoon.

“After obtaining a restraining order in 2016 and finalising my divorce, I just wanted to move on with my life,” the actress said.

“I did not file this lawsuit and, despite its significance, I would have preferred not to be here in court.”

She added: “It has been incredibly painful to relive the break-up of my relationship, have my motives and my truth questioned, and the most traumatic and intimate details of my life with Johnny shared in court and broadcast around the world.”

Ms Heard also thanked her legal team, court staff and those who had supported her during the libel case.

Boos could be heard from a small number of onlookers outside the court, with one woman shouting “justice for Johnny”, as Ms Heard finished her statement and returned inside the building.

The high-profile trial, which has exposed intimate details of Mr Depp and Ms Heard’s volatile relationship, was brought about by Mr Depp’s decision to sue The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), and its executive editor Dan Wootton over a 2018 article which described him as a “wife beater”.

David Sherborne, Mr Depp’s lawyer, said on Tuesday that the actor strongly denied the “reputation-destroying, career-ending allegation” made against him.

The actor has denied he assaulted Ms Heard on 14 occasions and alleged he was the victim of abuse.

NGN has argued that the article was accurate, with lawyer Sasha Wass saying there was no doubt Mr Depp “regularly and systematically abused his wife”.

“For the defence of truth to be substantiated, the defendants need to prove on a balance of probabilities that Mr Depp assaulted Ms Heard on at least one occasion,” Ms Wass told the court on Monday.

“During the last two weeks, the defendants have established that many more than one incident of wife-beating took place over the course of the relationship between the claimant [Mr Depp] and Amber Heard.”

Additional reporting by PA