Amber Heard Testifies That She Wants to Move On from Johnny Depp: ‘I Want Him to Leave Me Alone’

Jurors in the high-profile trial between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard saw a photo of Heard today with what appear to be bruises on her face. Heard, who is being sued by her ex-husband Johnny Depp for defamation, returned to the stand after a weeklong hiatus.

Amber Heard’s testimony

Jurors were shown a photo of Heard that was taken at a Los Angeles courthouse when Heard filed for a temporary restraining order against Depp in May 2016. Depp accused Heard of using make-up to fabricate the bruise, which Heard denies.

After describing another alleged abusive incident on her 30th birthday in April 2016, Heard testified that she resolved to divorce Depp. “I knew I had to leave him. I knew I wouldn’t survive if I didn’t,” she testified. Heard said deciding to file for divorce from Depp in May 2016, “was so hard, but I knew I had to do it.”

Read more: Why You’re Seeing So Many Johnny Depp Defenders on TikTok

While being questioned by her attorney, Heard defended her 2018 Washington Post op-ed, in which she referred to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Though he wasn’t named in the op-ed, the portrayal is at the heart of Depp’s defamation suit.

“What, if anything, in this op-ed is incorrect?” Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft asked, per the New York Post. “Nothing,” Heard said. “Every word is true.” She added: “It’s not about Johnny. The only one who thought it was about Johnny was Johnny. It was about me, and my life after Johnny.”

Heard added that it’s been “torture” to be accused of lying by Depp’s supporters. “I want to move on with my life,” she said. “I want Johnny to move on. I want him to leave me alone.”

Heard’s cross-examination

In addition to testifying, Heard was cross-examined by Depp’s legal team on Monday, and was pressed about her claims that Depp may have broken her nose after the Met Gala in 2014. Depp’s lawyers showed photos taken soon after the alleged event that seem to show her without injury. Heard said she covered the injury with makeup: “I’m not going to walk around L.A. with bruises on my face.”

Depp’s legal team also pressed Heard on whether Depp had looked at her during the trial. “Not that I have noticed,” Heard said.

“You know why he won’t look at you,” the lawyer said, per Deadline. “He told you you would never see his eyes again.”

Heard also testified that she believes the lawsuit has damaged her career. She admitted that she had not yet fulfilled her pledge to donate the $7 million divorce settlement she received from Depp. She claimed she still plans to split the money between the American Civil Liberties Union and a California children’s hospital.

What happens next

The trial, which is taking place in a Virginia courtroom, is now in its fifth week. Per CNN, closing arguments are expected on May 27, and then jury deliberations will begin.

This is the second lawsuit stemming from the former relationship between Depp and Heard, following a trial in the U.K. in 2020.

Read more: What to Know About Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s Defamation Trial