I’d try to leave..she’d stop me , screaming, ‘I’m going to die’
Depp says he stayed to prevent ex’s suicide
JOHNNY Depp has told his £100million defamation trial how he was often forced to lock himself in a bathroom to avoid being attacked by suicidal Amber Heard.
On the second day of giving evidence yesterday, the Hollywood star recounted a catalogue of violence he claims his then-wife carried out against him.
When asked why he didn’t leave her, he said one of the reasons was because Heard had threatened to take her own life if he did.
Depp told how their arguments would escalate and that his former wife would “search for weaknesses” in him to berate him over, often calling him a poor father to his two children.
He told the jury: “It became ammunition for Ms Heard to either verbally decimate me or to send me into a tailspin of confusion and depression.
“It became an endless circle.
“As it began to escalate, I went back to what I learned from youth to remove myself from the situation.
“There is only so much your ears can hear.
“If she didn’t allow me to walk away, there were times I would lock myself in the bathroom or somewhere where she couldn’t get into. That happened often over the years.” Depp, 58, is suing his former wife for more than £38m, saying her domestic abuse claims have harmed his career and reputation.
The actress, 35, has filed a countersuit seeking almost £78m in damages and saying Depp’s legal team falsely accused her of fabricating claims against him. Asked by his lawyer why he just didn’t leave, Depp replied: “I stayed, I suppose because my father stayed. “I suppose because I had been in that relationship with Vanessa [Paradis], and that was lost, and I didn’t want to fail. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone, especially Ms Heard. I didn’t want to break her heart. “Sometimes when I would try to leave, she would stop me at the elevator with the security guards, crying, screaming, ‘You know, I can’t live without you. I’m going to. I’m going to die’.”
As Depp gave his testimony, Heard sat showing no signs of emotion. She is expected to testify in the trial in Fairfax, Virginia.