Kate Moss: Johnny Depp never pushed or kicked me
26 May, 2022
British supermodel Kate Moss has testified that her ex-boyfriend Johnny Depp never abused her, contradicting a claim made by the actor's ex-wife.
Amber Heard, 36, had claimed that she heard rumours that Mr Depp once pushed Ms Moss down a flight of stairs.
Mr Depp is suing Ms Heard for $50m (£40m) for an opinion article she wrote in which she said she was an abuse victim.
On the stand, he said that it has been "insane" to hear Ms Heard's claims.
Over the course of the six week trial, the court has heard vastly different versions of what transpired between the two during their volatile two year marriage. Ms Heard and witnesses for her side painted a picture of Mr Depp as an abuser plagued by drug use, jealous and self-harm and Mr Depp's side putting forward a story of the actress as the aggressor and her claims as untrue.
In brief testimony on Wednesday, Ms Moss - who dated Mr Depp between 1994 and 1998 - said that he never pushed her, but rather that he once came to her aid after she fell down the stairs.
"As I left the room, I slid down the stairs and I hurt my back," Ms Moss said. "And I screamed because I didn't know what happened to me and I was in pain".
"He came running back to help me and carried me to my room and got me medical attention," she added.
Mr Depp never pushed or kicked her throughout the years they spent together, Ms Moss said.
Taking the stand on Wednesday, Mr Depp accused Ms Heard of turning the story "into a very ugly incident, all in her mind."
The claim he had pushed her was brought up earlier in the trial by Ms Heard, who said the image of her then-husband abusing the model had popped into her head when she witnessed an altercation between Mr Depp and her sister.
"[Her] back was to the staircase and Johnny swings at her," Ms Heard said. "I don't hesitate. I don't want. I just, in my head, think of Kate Moss and stairs".
Her concerns prompted her to "swing" at Johnny to defend her sister, she said, hitting him "square in the face".
Her lawyers chose to not cross-examine Ms Moss.
During his testimony, Mr Depp denied several other allegations made by Ms Heard during the trial, including her claim that he assaulted her while on their honeymoon on the Orient Express.
"Ms Heard hit me," he said. "I had a sort of shiner [black eye], but it all ended and everything got fine again".
In previous testimony, Ms Heard said she feared that Mr Depp would accidentally kill her during the same incident and that "he wouldn't mean to do it".
Mr Depp said it was "insane" to hear "heinous accusations" of violence and abuse his ex-wife attributes to him.
"I don't think anyone enjoys having to split themselves open and tell the truth," he said. "But there are times one simply has to".
The defamation case against Ms Heard stems from a 2018 comment article she wrote for the Washington Post in which she said she was a victim of abuse.
While the piece did not identify Mr Depp by name, his attorneys have said it "incalculably" damaged his career. She has countersued him for $100m.
A source close to Ms Heard told the BBC that they believe Ms Moss's testimony will have little impact on the case when it comes to the "central issue" of "whether Amber Heard can exercise her right of freedom of speech".
Closing arguments will begin on Friday, followed by jury deliberations.
Source: www.bbc.com
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