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May 4 (UPI) -- Actress Amber Heard on Wednesday took the stand in her own defense as she stands accused of defamation by her ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp. In her opening statements, Heard said that testifying in the trial, which has spanned more than three weeks, has been "the most painful and difficult thing I've ever gone through."
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"This is horrible for me to sit here for weeks and relive everything," she said. "Hear people that I knew -- some well, some not -- my ex-husband with whom I shared a life, speak about our lives in the way that they have."
Depp sued Heard for $50 million over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post where she described herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse." Depp's legal team claimed the article cost him roles despite the fact it did not mention him by name.
Heard and Depp were married from 2015 to 2016 and have accused each other of physical abuse throughout their relationship.
On Wednesday, Heard recalled meeting Depp in 2009 while filming The Rum Diary and said they began seeing each other romantically in 2011 but kept the relationship a secret as Depp was separating from his longtime partner and the mother of his two children, Vanessa Paradis.
"When I was around Johnny, I felt like the most beautiful person in the world. He made me feel like a million dollars," Heard said. "It just felt very intense."
She testified that Depp first hit her when she asked him about one of his tattoos, saying the event "changed my life."
Heard said she asked Depp what the tattoo said and he responded "Wino."
"I just laughed, because I thought he was joking. And he slapped me across the face," Heard said. "And I laughed. I laughed because I didn't know what else to do. I thought, 'This must be a joke.'"
Heard said Depp slapped her two more times, causing her to fall to the carpet. She said she then tried to will herself to walk out.
"I knew it was wrong and I knew that I had to leave him. And that's what broke my heart. Because I didn't want to leave him," Heard said. "I wish I could sit here and say I stood up and walked out of that house and I drew a line and I stood up for myself."
Heard also said she believed in hindsight that Depp was using cocaine at the time of the incident, noting that there was a vintage jar of cocaine nearby, although she did not see him take anything.
Later in her testimony Heard detailed an incident in which Depp performed a "cavity search" on her after accusing her of stealing cocaine while they were on a trip with friends in 2013.
Heard said they had a fight after Depp was upset that a woman, who Heard said was experiencing the effects of MDMA, was leaning in and touching her, and accused her of having an affair.
She said she assumed Depp was "probably really high" and walked into the bathroom. When she emerged Heard said Depp asked her "how long I'd been hiding it" and ripped the front of her dress and her underwear.
"He proceeds to do a cavity search," Heard said. "He said he was looking for his drugs -- his cocaine, his coke. I was wondering how I, somebody who didn't do cocaine and was against it ... how could I, why would I hide his drugs? Like he was insinuating I was doing it or something?"
The defense team's first witness, Dawn Hughes, a clinical and forensic psychologist who specializes in interpersonal violence, testified that Heard had shared the story about the cavity search with her.
Under cross-examination from Depp's lawyers, Hughes defended her assessment that Heard suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, as a result of alleged abuse by Depp. Her testimony contradicted earlier testimony by Shannon Curry, an expert in intimate partner violence hired by Depp's legal team.
Hughes said she administered two clinical tests -- DSM-5 and CAPS-5 -- over years to discern what symptoms Heard exhibited as a result of her relationship with Depp and which symptoms stemmed from her experience with abuse as a child.
"There are multiple measures that are consistent across time that she meets the criteria for PTSD," Hughes said.
She also acknowledged that Depp experienced physical violence and verbal trauma during their relationship, as the actor's legal team played audio of arguments between the couple in which Heard mentioned punching Depp and showed a photo of his partially severed finger which he alleges he sustained after Heard threw a glass bottle at him.
Heard is set to continue her testimony on Thursday.
