Amber Heard lost 25lbs in weight over the effect of Johnny Depp’s alleged abuse, the court has heard.
The bombshell defamation trial is continuing in Fairfax County Court in Virginia, with the Aquaman actress set to take the stand later.
Ahead of her testimony on day 14 of the case, Dr Dawn Hughes returned to the stand for cross examination.
Speaking to the court, the forensic psychologist – who evaluated Heard – said that she dropped 25lbs, going from 130lbs to 105lbs.
Hughes also said that the 36-year-old endured more outbursts of anger and took ‘significantly more medication’.
Appearing on the stand on Tuesday, she told the jury that she conducted a psychological evaluation of Heard and met with her for a total of around 29 hours – in a mix of in person and Zoom sessions.
She also said that she ‘diagnosed Ms Heard with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)’, during their time together.
Her diagnosis goes against previous testimony by Dr Shannon Curry, who appeared on the stand as a witness for Depp’s case last week.
At the time, Curry told the court that there were ‘pretty significant indications that Heard was grossly exaggerating the symptoms of PTSD’.
When asked for her professional opinion, Hughes added: ‘The main opinion is that Ms Heard’s report of intimate partner violence and the records I reviewed is consistent with what we know in the field about intimate partner violence, characterized by physical violence, psychological aggression and coercive control.’
This is the latest development in the case which began last month, and is thought to continue for several weeks.
Depp, 58, previously took the stand alongside a series of witnesses, including their former couple’s therapist and his security guard.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is suing his ex-wife after she penned an op-ed in the Washington Post, in 2018.
In the piece, titled ‘I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change’, she discussed her experiences of domestic abuse, but did not mention him by name.
His team are seeking $50million (£39m) in damages and have said that this falsely implies Heard was subjected to sexual and physical abuse during their marriage, which he has denied.
His ex is countersuing and is wanting $100million (£76m), claiming that he libeled her by calling her a liar.
The trial continues.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
Source: Read Full Article
