Photo: Your Tango
Kate Moss shared what encouraged her to testify for ex-partner Johnny Depp during his talked-about defamation trial against Amber Heard.
The 48-year-old model, known to not sit in public interviews, became a rebuttal witness for Depp in May to disprove hearsay that he pushed her down the stairs. Moss told BBC Radio’s Desert Island Discs that she felt obligated to reveal the actual occurrences when asked about the reason behind her participation in court.
Moss cited her fellow fashion designer John Galliano, a former Dior designer charged with anti-Semitic abuse in 2011 following his spitting of public insults at a bar in Paris when queried about Depp and Heard’s trial.
“I believe in the truth, and I believe in fairness and justice,” Moss stated. “I know that John Galliano is not a bad person. He had an alcohol problem, and people turn.”
She continued: “People aren’t themselves when they drink, and they say things that they would never say if they were sober,” adding, “I know the truth about Johnny. I know he never kicked me down the stairs. I had to say that truth.”
Amber Heard Dragged Kate Moss to the Trial
Heard had claimed in court that Depp physically, verbally, and sexually assaulted her, saying before the jurors that her ex-husband frequently became eruptive under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
In her testimony, she implied that Depp shoved Moss down the stairs while recalling the first time she hit Depp, claiming it was self-defense.
“I just instantly think of Kate Moss and the stairs, and I swung at him,” Heard claimed. “In all my relationships to date, I hadn’t [delivered] a blow. For the first time, I hit him square in the face.”
Read also: Johnny Depp’s Defamation Trial Against Amber Heard Made Some Jurors Snooze, According to Court Stenographer
The mention of Moss’s name laid the foundations for her to be summoned as a witness. In a pre-recorded testimony, the supermodel, who went out with Depp between 1994 and 1998, said Depp “never pushed me, kicked me, or threw me down any stairs.”
The alleged incident happened during the pair’s vacation in Jamaica.
“We were leaving the room, and Johnny left the room before I did,” Moss testified. “There had been a rainstorm. As I left the room, I slid down the stairs, and I hurt my back, and 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.”
Jury Ruled in Favor of Depp
A Fairfax County, Virginia jury issued a verdict in June, ruling that Heard willfully and maliciously defamed Depp when she wrote a 2018 op-ed for Washing Post claiming she was a domestic abuse survivor.
Depp was granted $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. However, shortly after the declaration, the judge lowered the punitive damages to $350,000 – the statutory cap in Virginia.
On the other hand, Heard gained a small countersuit win of $2 million in compensatory damages. And last week, her team filed a motion to appeal the verdict.
“We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment,” said a spokesperson for the Aquaman star. “We are therefore appealing the verdict. While we realize today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.”
Read also: Jury Rules in Favor of Johnny Depp in Defamation Trial, Awarding him $15 Million in Damages
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