Johnny Depp spent the last two days testifying in his defamation case against Amber Heard. Earlier this morning, the actor revealed why his daughter, 22-year-old actress Lily-Rose Depp, failed to attend their nuptials more than six years ago.
"My daughter Lily-Rose did not come to the wedding. She and Ms. Heard were not on particularly great terms, for several reasons," Johnny told the court.
As per PEOPLE Magazine, the actor described his ex’s alleged substance abuse, accusing Amber and her friends of partaking in recreational drugs at their 2015 wedding, held in the Bahamas.
In another part of his testimony, Johnny said he stayed in the marriage because he had watched his father stay despite his mother’s abuse.
“I thought maybe I could bring her around. Because the Amber Heard that I knew for the first year, year and a half was not this, suddenly this opponent,” he explained.
A year after their wedding, Amber filed for divorce and sought a restraining order against Johnny, accusing him of verbal and physical abuse. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor denied the claims, and their divorce was granted in 2017.
The following year, Amber wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in which she described the abuse she alleges to have faced in their marriage. In response, Johnny sued her for defamation in early 2019 and again denied her claims.
Amber was quick to file a countersuit, claiming that her ex-husband was responsible for harassment she faced online that attempted to get her fired from projects, including Aquaman and a campaign for L’Oréal.
In his opening statements, Johnny explained he was compelled to launch the $50 million lawsuit in order to clear the air and establish “the truth.” "Since I knew there was no truth to it whatsoever, I felt it my responsibility to stand up not only for myself in that instance but stand up for my children, who at the time were 14 and 16,” the actor told the court.
Amber hasn’t taken the stand yet but is expected to next week. Her legal team claims they plan to expose Johnny’s multiple forms of abuse, which they argue includes sexual assault.
This isn’t the first lawsuit Johnny has launched over his ex-wife’s allegations. He also sued The Sun for referring to him as a “wife beater.” However, he lost the case in 2020 as well as his attempt to overturn the decision the following year.
Sources: PEOPLE Magazine, Us Weekly,