London: Love knows no boundaries and once a lover always a lover. These statements were once more proved right Wednesday. Two former romantic partners of actor Johnny Depp came to his defense Wednesday. They took Johnny Depp’s side in his libel suit against British newspaper ‘The Sun’. The two lovers dismissed claims that Depp was violent or abusive.
Actresses Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder offered supportive statements for the Pirates of the Caribbean’ star Depp. He is suing the tabloid paper’s publisher, ‘News Group Newspapers’, over an April 2018 article. It referred to the 56-year-old Depp as a ‘wife-beater’.
Allegations by Amber Heard
The article contained allegations by Depp’s ex-wife, Amber Heard, who filed for divorce after requesting a domestic violence restraining order. Depp has strenuously denied the allegations.
In a hearing conducted remotely, lawyers for Depp argued that statements from Ryder and Paradis were important. They should be included as evidence in the actor’s case against the publisher.
‘Kind, generous person
“We’ve been partners for 14 years and we raised our two children together,” Paradis said, court documents show. “Through all these years, I’ve known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous, and non-violent person and father.” Paradis added that Depp was ‘never violent or abusive’.
Winona Ryder bats for Depp
Depp’s lawyers also want to include evidence from Ryder, who was in a relationship with the star in the 1990s.
“I cannot wrap my head around (Heard’s) accusations,” Ryder said according to the documents. “He (Depp) was never, never violent towards me. He was never abusive at all towards me,” she added.
A two-week trial was due to start in London on March 25, but it was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The case is now scheduled for July.
AP