Actress Amber Heard allegedly texted billionaire Elon Musk using the nickname "rocketman" (a reference to Musk's company SpaceX) while she was still married to Johnny Depp, the Mirror reported.
The tabloid says the texts were purportedly passed to Depp's legal team as part of the defamation case against Heard. Heard reportedly sent a text message to Musk on 22 May 2016, in which she told the tech maverick that she was filing for divorce and a restraining order, while Musk offered the actress security 24/7 because she told him about "J[Depp] being violent in the past".
Depp's lawyer Adam Waldman said the message contradicts Musk's previous statements on relations with Amber Heard.
"Last week, Elon Musk publicly claimed his relationship with Amber Heard did not start until late June 2016. These messages between Ms Heard and Mr Musk profoundly contradict Musk's statement that he wasn't 'ever in the vicinity of Amber during their marriage'".
The development comes a week after it was reported that Musk was purportedly involved in a three-way affair with Amber Heard and actress and model Cara Delevingne following testimony by a friend of Heard. Musk categorically denied the allegations. "Cara and I are friends, but we've never been intimate. She would confirm this", Musk said in a statement to Page Six.
Allegations against Heard and Musk are part of a $50 million defamation suit that Depp filed against his ex-wife in 2019. The lawsuit came after Heard penned an op-ed in The Washington Post where she spoke about being a victim of domestic violence. Although Depp isn't mentioned in the article by name, the actor said it was clear that Heard meant him as previously she publicly accused Depp of physically assaulting her, a claim which the star of the Pirates of the Caribbean denies.
Depp claims the accusations are a hoax and that Heard fabricated the evidence by painting on bruises. The 57-year-old said Heard is herself an aggressor. In March, the Daily Mail published a leaked audio recording from an informal therapy session Depp and Heard attended, where the actress admits she did "start a physical fight" with Depp.
Hollywood stars Winona Ryder and Penelope Cruz recently defended Depp, claiming the actor treated them with kindness and that Heard's accusations were impossible to believe.
