Johnny Depp v Amber Heard: Couple’s former marriage counselor says pair engaged in ‘mutual abuse’
Dr Lauren Anderson was called as a witness in defamation trial
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s former marriage counselor told a courtroom the couple engaged in what she saw as “mutual abuse”.
Dr Laurel Anderson was called as a witness on Thursday (14 April) as part of the defamation trial opposing Depp and Heard in Fairfax, Virginia. She was asked about some of her past sessions with the pair.
Asked whether Heard had ever reported any physical violence by Depp to her, Dr Anderson said yes. Asked whether she had seen photos, she said she had but doesn’t remember when. Asked whether “there was violence from Mr Depp toward Amber”, she said: “Yes, you’re right.”
“He had been well controlled for, I don’t know – 20, 30 years, and both were victims of abuse in their homes, but I thought he had been well controlled for decades,” she added. “And then with Ms Heard he was triggered and they engaged in what I saw as mutual abuse.”
Dr Anderson added: “Sometimes – I know she led on more than one occasion and started it to keep him with her, because abandonment and having him leave was her worst nightmare. And I think he may have initiated it on occasions too. That I’m less sure of.”
Dr Anderson told the court that Heard had reported to her that “it was a point of pride to [Heard] if she felt disrespected to initiate a fight,” and that “if he was going to leave her to deescalate the fight, she would strike him to keep him there – she would rather be in a fight than have him leave.”
Depp has sued Heard, his ex-wife, in Virginia over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018, in which she describes herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse”. Heard has counter-sued him, accusing him of allegedly orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and describing his own lawsuit as a continuation of “abuse and harassment.”
The trial started on Monday (11 April) with jury selection and is expected to last a total of six weeks.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.