Featured Image Credit: Court TV
Topics: News, Johnny Depp
Lucy Devine
Trigger warning: This article contains allegations of physical abuse.
As the defamation trial continues between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, the court has this week heard from an acting coach who worked with Heard between the years of 2011 and 2017.
In a pre-recorded testimony, Kristina Sexton said she could tell when the actress was genuinely crying, claiming she struggled to produce real tears during her performances.
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She also alleged that during her time working with Heard, she often saw her cry due to 'fights' between her and husband Depp.
In 2019, Sexton said: "As [their] relationship progressed and the fighting got heavier, I would have to build in time because she'd be sobbing at the beginning of sessions, and we couldn't work until we got her together."
She added: "I would say that last year they were together, probably 80 to 90% of our sessions began with her crying.
"I have a caretaker personality, so I would prioritise taking care of the person in front of me over doing work, which is why I ended up building in all that extra time."
Sexton explained she could tell when Heard's tears were genuine, explaining 'she has a little difficulty crying acting-wise'.
Throughout the trial, Heard has often become emotional while providing testimony.
Depp is suing Heard for defamation over a 2018 op-ed article in The Washington Post.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor and his team argue that the article implies Heard was physically and sexually abused by Depp when they were married, although the article does not mention him by name.
The trial comes following Depp's failure to overturn a High Court ruling in the UK, which rejected the actor's claim that The Sun newspaper committed libel when they called him a 'wife-beater' for the alleged abuse against Heard.
As the trial continues, earlier this week, Heard was asked why she didn't file a police report against Depp following an alleged abuse incident in 2016.
In response, Heard told the court that she wanted to 'protect' Depp, explaining: "I wanted to protect Johnny. I didn't want him to be arrested. I didn't want him to be in trouble.
"I didn't want the world to know. I didn't want this to come out."
During Heard's response, Depp could be seen turning to his attorney before chuckling.
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