Depp and Heard’s marriage ended in “mutual abuse”

The couple engaged in “mutual abuse” during the final months of their stormy marriage, according to Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s former couples therapist.

On the third day of the $50 million (£38 million) defamation trial in Virginia, jurors were shown video testimony from Dr. Laurel Anderson. Mr. Depp has filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife for a story she wrote in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic violence. He denies any wrongdoing. Ms. Heard counterclaimed for $100 million.

Ms Anderson said she saw the famous couple for several therapy sessions between October and December 2015, according to testimony recorded in February and played for jurors on Thursday. After only 15 months of marriage, Ms Heard filed for divorce in May 2016. Mr. Depp and Ms. Heard had a tense relationship, according to the psychotherapist, with both threatening to walk out of sessions during arguments.

Ms Heard reported physical assault at the hands of her then-husband in sessions where Mr Depp was not present, Ms Anderson said. Ms Heard testified that she once came to her office with several small bruises on her face.

Ms Heard initiated violent interactions on several occasions in an attempt to keep Mr Depp from leaving, according to Ms Anderson. “It was a point of pride for her to initiate a fight if she felt disrespected,” Ms Anderson told jurors. “She would strike him to keep him there if he was going to leave her to de-escalate the fight; she would rather be in a fight than have him leave.”

Mr Depp’s therapy sessions were frequently interrupted by Ms Heard, according to Ms Anderson. “Ms Heard talked like a jackhammer,” the clinical psychologist said. “She was pumped up to the max. He struggled to speak at a similar rate. He was frequently cut off.”

Both Ms Heard and Mr Depp’s families have a history of domestic violence, according to Ms Anderson. Ms. Heard claimed that her father abused her, and Mr. Depp claimed that his mother abused him.

Mr Depp had been “well controlled” for decades before meeting Ms Heard, according to Ms Anderson, and had never harmed previous partners. “He was triggered by Ms Heard. They were abusing each other, in my opinion.”

Ms. Heard’s 2018 opinion piece in the Washington Post, in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse,” is at issue in the trial. Mr. Depp claims that the article, which does not name him, is defamatory and has harmed his career.

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