Amber Heard: Johnny Depp slapped me twice when I laughed at his tattoo

Actress Amber Heard took the stand for the first time on Wednesday in her ex-husband Johnny Depp's defamation case, saying it was painful to recall the couple's relationship and secrets in the courtroom.

In the early weeks of the trial in Virginia, Depp testified that Heard was physically and verbally abusing him, and jurors heard audio recordings of arguments between the spouses.

Heard stared in silence, sometimes stubborn or brimming with tears.

"It was the most painful and difficult thing I've ever been through in my life," Heard said at the beginning of her testimony.

Heard said the first physical assault occurred after I asked him what was written on the faint tattoo on his body.

She added that he replied, "Wino," and she laughed, thinking it was a joke.

"He slapped me in the face," Heard said. "I didn't know what was going on.

I just stared at it.”

She added that Depp slapped her two more times and said, "Do you think this is funny, bitch?"

A psychiatrist previously testified that she believed the actress had suffered from PTSD due to Depp's physical and sexual assault.

Depp, 58, star of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and others, is suing Heard, 36, in a defamation lawsuit seeking $50 million, saying she tarnished his reputation when she claimed she was a victim of domestic violence.

Heard filed a counter-lawsuit asking for $100 million, saying Depp distorted her reputation by calling her a liar.

Over the four days of his testimony, Depp said that Heard, who starred in films like "Aquaman," was the aggressor, once throwing a bottle of vodka and wounding his finger.

"At the end of the day, I'm broken," Depp said.

Heard denied injuring Depp's finger and said she threw objects only to get away when he hit her.

The case is based on an opinion piece that Heard published in December 2018 in the Washington Post.

The article never mentioned Depp by name, but his lawyer told jurors that Heard was clearly referring to him.

The couple divorced in 2017 after less than two years of marriage.

Depp, once a Hollywood star, said he never hit Heard or any other woman and that Heard's allegations cost him "everything".

The new "Pirates" movie was suspended, and Depp was replaced in the "Fantastic Beasts" movie series, which is from the "Harry Potter" series.

Heard's lawyers argued that she told the truth and that her opinion is protected under the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

A judge in Fairfax County, Virginia, outside the US capital, is overseeing the trial, which is expected to run until late May.

Less than two years ago, Depp lost a defamation case against the popular British newspaper, The Sun, which described him as a "wife-beater".

A London High Court judge ruled that he repeatedly assaulted Heard.

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