Winona defends Depp
WINONA RYDER has issued a glowing character reference for her embattled ex-fiancé Johnny Depp in light of the allegations of physical abuse from his estranged wife Amber Heard.
Amber, 30, filed for divorce in May. The split has been an acrimonious and very public one.
But 44-year-old Winona says she never saw the actor, 55, currently being accused – and sued – by Amber, ever being violent.
“I can only speak from my own experience, which was wildly different than what is being said,” she says. “He was never abusive towards me. I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves.
“I wasn’t there… I’m not calling anyone a liar. I’m just saying it’s difficult and upsetting for me to wrap my head around it.”
Winona co-starred with Johnny in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands in 1990, and the pair got engaged that same year. Johnny famously got the tattoo Winona Forever on his arm, which he changed to Wino Forever after they split in 1993.
“Look, it was a long time ago but we were together for four years and it was a big relationship for me,” the star – about to appear in new Netflix thriller Stranger Things – adds to Time magazine. “I was 17 when I met him. I have never seen him be violent towards a person before.
“The only word I can come up with is unimaginable… It’s such a serious, horrible thing to be accused of.”