Johnny Depp Says He Is Legally Blind In One Eye As He Recalls Abuse From His Mum

Taking to the stand for the first time in his defamation trial against Amber Heard, Johnny Depp recounted abuse from his mother.

Depp took to the stand for the first time today, 19 April, and made a series of claims about not only his relationship with Heard, but his upbringing, his childhood and his entry into becoming a film star.

Among them was that he never hit Heard and that he endured emotional abuse from his mother.

Depp recounted his mother saying: "She would call me cock eye, one eye, anything she could get to demean, to humiliate."

Taking to the stand Depp told the court of his turbulent upbringing that involved abuse from his mother, Betty Sue Palmer.

Depp, who is nearly blind in one eye. told of how his mother would make fun of his sight issues.

"The verbal abuse, the psychological abuse was almost worse than the beatings. The beatings were just physical pain and physical pain you learn to deal with, you learn to accept it, you learn to deal with it. But the psychological and emotional abuse, that's what kind of tore us up I think."

Depp went on to further explain his father and mother's relationship.

Saying of his father, John Christopher Depp: "He amazingly remained very, very stoic.

"She was rationing him with horrible things. He stood there and just looked at her while she delivered the pain. And he swallowed it. He took it. There was never one moment, never a moment when my father lost control and attacked my mother or hit my mother or even said a bad thing to my mother. The things I witnessed were a couple of times where it got too far, I could see his eyes welling up, him staring at her saying nothing and then the most that he would do is he would punch a wall.'"

While on the stand Depp also affirmed that he has never hit Heard, stating: "Nothing of the kind had ever happened."

"Though the relationship... There were arguments and things of that nature. But never did I myself reach the point of striking Miss Heard in any way, nor have I ever struck any woman in my life.

"And so I, at the time, because the news of her accusations had, sort of permeated the industry and made its way through social media, it became quite a global, sort of quote on quote fact. Since I knew there was no truth to it whatsoever, I felt it was my responsibility to stand up for myself, not only in that instance, but to stand up for my children, who at the time were 14 and 16 so they were in high school."

Depp went on to say that he wanted to clear his name, for himself and his children.

Depp's $50 million defamation lawsuit is set to continue, with Judge Penny Azacarte presiding.

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