Depp’s wife has been scheming against him for years says friend
As actor hides away in £8k-a-night hotel
JOHNNY Depp’s estranged wife has been accused of carrying out a smear campaign against the Hollywood star by one of his close friends.
Comedian Doug Stanhope said that Amber Heard has been scheming against Depp for years but that his love for her blinded him to her behaviour.
He added that the American actress’s accusations that Depp has been violent towards her are an attempt to get a generous settlement in their bitter divorce battle.
Depp, who denies Miss Heard’s allegations, was yesterday spotted boarding a speedboat in Stockholm to take him to a concert where he performed with his band The Hollywood Vampires. He has reportedly been hiding away in an £8,000-a-night suite in the city’s Grand Hotel with a team of eight security guards. They were overheard saying ‘we’ve gotta protect Johnny at all costs’.
Miss Heard has claimed in court that Depp, 52, threw a phone at her, hitting her in the face, during a row ten days ago. The 30-yearold claimed the actor had a drink and drugs problem and that she ‘lived in fear’ of him.
Miss Heard, who has been granted a temporary restraining order against Depp, showed the court pictures of her face with bruises. But US website TMZ reported that when police arrived at the couple’s home after the alleged row, Miss Heard did not tell them Depp had hit her with the phone and they saw no sign of injuries. She has also reportedly not filed a police report alleging he attacked her.
Depp’s lawyers say Miss Heard, who was seen laughing with a friend after meeting with her lawyers on Saturday, is making false claims to get a bigger share of his fortune, said to be £300million.
Now his friend Stanhope has claimed in a blog that Miss Heard is trying to manipulate Depp.
The comedian said he was with Depp in the hours before the alleged assault. He said the actor had told him Miss Heard was leaving him and had threatened to ‘lie about him publicly if he didn’t agree to her terms’. He said the star ‘still pronounced his love for Amber but was presciently aware that she was going to pull off some kind of ruse’.
Stanhope said Depp’s friends had watched Miss Heard scheme against him throughout their relationship but had been afraid to tell him of their concerns.
He said he felt compelled to speak out now after seeing his friend attacked on social media over Miss Heard’s allegations. Writing on US website The Wrap,
‘Johnny doesn’t abuse anyone’
Stanhope said: ‘ My girlfriend, Bingo, and I have known Johnny Depp for a few years now. We have watched him at his weakest ... and we didn’t say s*** because he’s Johnny Depp. And we didn’t want to be thrown out of the circle for saying that The Emperor was being Stripped of His Clothes.’
He added: ‘Johnny doesn’t abuse anyone. Johnny Depp got used, manipulated, set up and made to look like an a*******. And he saw it coming and didn’t or couldn’t do anything to stop it.’ Stanhope’s claims were shared on Twitter by director and Monty Python star Terry Gilliam, who commented: ‘Like many of Johnny Depp’s friends I’m discovering that Amber is a better actress than I thought.’
Depp’s former partner, French actress Vanessa Paradis, and one of his two children with her, model Lily-Rose, have also defended him. But Miss Heard’s account was backed by neighbour Raquel Rose Pennington, who claimed in court files that she saw Depp ‘screaming’ at his wife and wielding a wine bottle ‘like a baseball bat’.
Miss Heard is bisexual, and it has been claimed Depp was jealous of her friendships with women including model Cara Delevingne. The spotlight last night moved to Miss Heard’s ex-girlfriend, photographer Tasya van Ree, after it was revealed they had previously regarded themselves as married. Miss Heard even changed her surname to van Ree in 2008, before California legalised gay marriage, but changed it back in 2013.
Depp and Miss Heard met in 2011 and were married for just 15 months. Miss Heard’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment.