Amber Heard Said Johnny Depp Hit Her For Laughing At His Tattoo In Her First Testimony

Amber Heard started her first day of testimony on Wednesday by describing her "whirlwind" romance with Johnny Depp and the first time he allegedly hit her.

"This is the most painful and difficult thing I have ever gone through," she said in court, where she and Depp are suing each other for defamation.

"It was always intense," she said of their relationship. "It didn't become that way. It started that way."

Heard said she first met Depp when she was cast in The Rum Diary in 2009, and she said he "used his tongue" during their first on-screen kiss for the film, which was unusual.

"It was a friendship, flirtatious thing," she said of her relationship with Depp. "I felt chemistry. I felt this other thing that went beyond the pale of my job for sure. Johnny clearly felt that way about me."

She went on to say things didn't get romantic until the 2011 press tour for the film, when the pair got together and talked about their respective breakups.

She says he kissed her during that meeting and that they "fell in love." Over the next several months they spent time in a "bubble," visiting his various luxury homes and staying out of the public eye.

“I fell head over heels in love with this man,” she said.

Later, she described how he would drink, disappear for long stretches and make comments about her clothing, calling her a "whore." She told the court about the first time he allegedly struck her, saying she had laughed at his "Wino Forever" tattoo because she didn't know what it meant.

“He slapped me across the face,” she said. “I laughed because I didn’t know what else to do.”

She said he had been drinking at the time, saying in court that she thought he was also using cocaine and that there "was a jar of cocaine on the table." Heard said that Depp slapped her twice more, then began crying and apologized afterward. She said she eventually accepted his claims that he would never do it again and decided to stay.

That was in 2012, three years before they got married.

Depp kept his head down through most of her testimony and did not look at her.

He has denied ever striking her.

The court has already heard Depp’s testimony, which touched on a few major disputes between the formerly married couple. Depp spoke about losing a fingertip during one argument, finding poop in his bed after another fight and also tried to explain some graphic text messages he sent about Heard during their relationship.

Heard’s lawyers tried and failed to get Depp’s case dismissed on Tuesday. They argued that Depp’s team failed to meet their burden of proof, but a judge denied the request for dismissal.

Depp is suing Heard over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post, in which she said she was a victim of domestic abuse. Depp is not named in the piece but his lawyers argue that it clearly points to him and that he lost major film roles because it damaged his reputation.

Depp is seeking $50 million in the suit while Heard is countersuing for $100 million.

Depp supporters have been calling for Heard to be fired from the upcoming film Aquaman 2 in light of the allegations.

The case is expected to last a few more weeks.