BBC
Actor Johnny Depp has taken the stand in his $50m (£38m) defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, saying he is telling the “truth” for the sake of his children and family.
The lawsuit is over an opinion piece Ms Heard wrote for the Washington Post in which she calls herself a victim of domestic violence. He denies any abuse.
Ms Heard has filed a counterclaim.
The closely-watched civil trial, which is taking place in Virginia, is now in its second week.
Speaking to the jury on Tuesday, Mr Depp said that the truth is all that matters to him now, and that Ms Heard’s claims of abuse ruined long-standing relationships he had in Hollywood.
“I never struck Ms Heard in that way, nor have I struck any woman in my life,” he testified, adding that “her accusations sorta permeated the industry”.
“It’s been six years of trying times – so strange when one day you’re Cinderella, so to speak, and then in 0.6 seconds, you’re Quasimodo,” he said, describing how people’s attitudes towards him changed after Ms Heard’s op-ed was published.
The trial has focused so far on Mr Depp’s demeanour and whether he was ever verbally or physically abusive towards Ms Heard. Lawyers for Mr Depp have accused his ex-wife, who is also an actor, of giving the “performance of her life” in her descriptions of alleged abuse.
Mr Depp began his testimony saying that Ms Heard’s claims are “not based in any species of the truth”.
His lawyer went on to ask him to describe his childhood in Kentucky, and the abuse that he suffered from his mother.
“I could see when she [his mother] was about to head into a situation where she was going to get riled up and someone was going to get it. And generally it was me,” he said.