The London High Court on Thursday released full witness statements given in favor of actor Johnny Depp by former girlfriends, American actress Winona Ryder and French singer Vanessa Paradis, the latter the mother of his two children, in Depp’s “wife beater” lawsuit against former spouse Amber Heard and the publishers of The Sun, according to New York Post’s Page Six Magazine.
The court’s release of the statements came despite lawyers for The Sun having reportedly attempted to block Ryder and Paradis from testifying and a Thursday announcement by the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s legal team that the exes would no longer give testimony in the case.
Both of the women declared their shock at the abuse claims made by Depp’s former wife, Heard, saying the actor has never been “abusive at all” towards them.
“I am aware of the violence allegations that have been made publicly for the last few years by Johnny Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard,” wrote Ryder, who was engaged to the actor for four years in the 1990s, cited by the publication. “I knew Johnny very well years ago. We were together as a couple for four years, and I counted him as my best friend, and as close to me as family. I count our relationship as one of the more significant relationships of my life”.
The actress acknowledged it was “very important that I speak from my own experience”, noting that she was not there during Depp’s marriage to Amber, which took place in 2015 and lasted for three years. Ryder said that she was “absolutely shocked, confused and upset” hearing the accusations against her former boyfriend.
“The idea that he is an incredibly violent person is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved,” she told the court. “I cannot wrap my head around these accusations. He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me. He has never been violent or abusive towards anybody I have seen.”
She argued that she knew Depp only as “a really good man — an incredibly loving, extremely caring guy who was so very protective of me and the people that he loves”, adding that she “felt so very, very safe with him” during their four-year engagement.
“I do not want to call anyone a liar but from my experience of Johnny, it is impossible to believe that such horrific allegations are true. I find it extremely upsetting, knowing him as I do,” Ryder stated.
Paradis, who was in a relationship with Depp between 1998-2012 – one year prior to his marriage to American actress Heard, wrote to the court that Depp, whom she has known for two and a half decades, “was never violent or abusive” to her, adding that he has always been “kind, attentive, generous and non-violent person and father”.
“I work as a musician, singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion model. I have known Johnny for more than 25 years. We’ve been partners for 14 years and we raised our two children together,” Paradis told the court. “Through all these years I’ve known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous and non-violent person and father. On movie sets the actors, directors and entire crews adore him because he is humble and respectful to everyone, as well as being one of the best actors we’ve seen”.
She said that Heard’s allegations, which have continued “for more than four years now”, were “nothing like the true Johnny” she knows, arguing that such claims have so far “caused damage to his career” as an actor.
“I have seen that these outrageous statements have been really distressing, and also caused damage to his career because unfortunately people have gone on believing these false facts,” she said. “This is so upsetting as he has helped so many persons in his personal and professional life, with kindness and generosity.”
Last week, a spokesperson for 34-year-old Heard claimed that Ryder’s and Paradis’s experience with the 57-year-old actor had nothing to do with allegations of domestic abuse.
“We are glad they did not have the same experience as Ms. Heard,” the representative said of Ryder and Paradis, cited by Page Six. “However, one woman’s experience does not determine the experience of another woman.”
Actress Amber Heard claimed in an article published in 2018 in the British newspaper The Sun that former husband Johnny Depp was a “wife-beater” during their tempestuous three-year relationship, which has been described as “a crime scene waiting to happen”. She alleged that the superstar put her in fear for her life.
Depp refuted her allegation, saying they were “a choreographed hoax”. The actor eventually filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife and The Sun publisher News Group Newspapers and its executive editor Dan Wootton for libel over the “wife-beater” article.