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Kate, model witness

Depp never kicked me or threw me down stairs, she tells Amber Heard court

From Daniel Bates in New York

KATE Moss yesterday defended her former boyfriend Johnny Depp from a claim that he pushed her down stairs.

The British supermodel insisted the Pirates Of The Caribbean star ‘never pushed me, kicked me or threw me down any stairs’.

Miss Moss, 48, was the star attraction at the actor’s $100million [£80million] defamation trial 25 years after their tumultuous relationship ended.

Appearing in a US court by video link from her mansion in Gloucestershire, she appeared tense as she was sworn in as a witness, pledging to ‘tell the truth under the penalty of law’.

And while her appearance lasted less than three minutes, it struck a big blow to the case of Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard.

The 58-year-old actor is suing Miss Heard for $50million (£40million) after she claimed in a newspaper that she was a domestic abuse survivor. She has counter-sued for $100million, claiming he destroyed her career by calling her a liar.

The Aquaman actress, 36, had previously told the jury in Virginia of a rumour Miss Moss had been sent sprawling down stairs when she and Depp were one of the hottest couples of the 1990s.

But the model, wearing a black jacket and white top, denied the incident during her testimony.

She said she slipped on a wet staircase while holidaying in Jamaica at the five star GoldenEye resort – former home of James Bond author Ian Fleming.

Asked what happened, she explained: ‘We were leaving the room and Johnny left the room before I did.

‘There had been a rain storm. As I left the room I slid down the stairs and I hurt my back. I screamed because I didn’t know what happened to me and I was in pain.

‘He came running back to help me and carried me to my room and got me medical attention.’

Asked if Depp pushed her down the stairs, Miss Moss said: ‘No.’

Depp’s lawyer Benjamin Chew probed further, asking: ‘During the course of the relationship did he ever push you down any stairs?’

Miss Moss replied: ‘No, he never pushed me, kicked me or threw me down any stairs.’

Despite Miss Heard initially bringing up the allegations, there was no cross-examination by her legal team and the model’s evidence was soon over.

She was a surprise witness for Depp during a stage of the trial known as rebuttal, where he was given the opportunity to challenge allegations made by Miss Heard.

On the actor’s return to the witness stand yesterday, the twicewed father-of-two said the incident had been twisted by his ex.

He said: ‘There was never a moment where I pushed Kate down any set of stairs yet she’s (Miss Heard) spewed this three times before.’

Recounting the incident, Depp said: ‘Very simply, we were in Jamaica. I’d left our bungalow about three minutes prior to her. I was standing outside and rain starts coming down like it’s a monsoon.

‘I remember seeing Kate coming out the door and there were three little wooden stairs. She slips, her legs went up, she landed on her lower back.

‘She was obviously physically in pain – she was hurt, she was crying. I ran over and grabbed her to make sure she was all right.

‘That’s it, that’s the whole story. I’d never heard a rumour of that [pushing her down the stairs] before Miss Heard grabbed hold of it.’

Depp and Miss Moss dated from 1994 to 1997. The actor later blamed youth and stupidity for the break-up, saying that he let his work get in the way of their relationship.

Asked by one of his lawyers to describe how the six-week trial has been for him, Depp said: ‘Insane. Horrible. Ridiculous. Humiliating. Ludicrous. Painful. Savage. Unimaginably brutal. Cruel. And all false. All false.’

Depp and Miss Heard met on the set of 2011 comedy-drama The Rum Diary. They were married for 15 months before divorcing in 2017.

The case follows a libel trial in London in 2020 where Depp fought newspaper ‘wife-beating’ allegations relating to his time with Miss Heard but lost in the High Court.

Closing arguments in the US case are expected tomorrow.

‘This trial has been insane and savage’

Partygate: The Verdict

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2022-05-26T07:00:00.0000000Z

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