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Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder’s testimonies cancelled last minute in Johnny Depp trial

His former partners will no longer be giving evidence during his libel trial

Image: Nikki Nelson/WENN

Vanessa Paradis and Winona Ryder will no longer be giving evidence, as part of Johnny Depp’s libel trial.

The actor’s libel case against The Sun newspaper has been ongoing since last week in London’s High Court, over a 2018 article which labelled him a “wife beater”.

Johnny’s former partners were set to join the trial via video link this week to defend the Pirates of the Caribbean star, over allegations that he was physically abusive towards his ex-wife Amber Heard.

But in court today, Johnny’s lawyer David Sherborne confirmed that Vanessa and Winona are no longer needed to testify, as the defendants have accepted neither of them were ever assaulted by Johnny.

Winona Ryder | WENN.com

He told the court: “There is no need to reschedule those witnesses, much as it would have been a pleasure to have them here.”

David Sherbourne said the extent of the allegations made against his client rested solely on Amber Heard.

In a former witness statement, Vanessa Paradis called her ex-partner “kind, attentive, generous and non-violent”.

“I have known Johnny for more than 25 years,” she said. “We’ve been partners for 14 years and we raised our two children together.”

Johnny and his daughter Lily-Rose – who he shares with Vanessa Paradis

“Through all these years I’ve known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous, and non-violent person and father.”

“He was never violent or abusive to me,” she added.

Vanessa and Johnny’s relationship lasted 14 years, and the former couple share two children – Lily-Rose and Jack.

In the preliminary hearing of the case, Winona’s witness statement read: “I cannot wrap my head around (Ms Heard’s) accusations. He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me.”

Winona Ryder

Last week in court, the 57-year-old was questioned over accusations he slapped his Amber “more than once” after she laughed at his “Winona Forever” tattoo.

Johnny previously had the words “Winona Forever” inked on his arm in tribute to his former girlfriend, but he had the inking changed to “Wino Forever” following the couple’s split in 1993.

“That is not correct. That’s not true. It did not happen,” he told the court.

Amber and Johnny in The Rum Diary

The actor has vehemently denied being physically abusive towards his ex-wife Amber, and has accused her of abusing him during their marriage.

He said the claims that he had an “overbearing, manipulative, or controlling personality” were actually “reflections” of his ex-wife’s behaviour.

In his witness statement, Johnny stated: “In the tapes of my conversations with Amber that have now been disclosed, it is clear that Amber spoke to me as an aggressor, and not as she has described herself, someone who feared for her life.”

Credit: Dave Bedrosian/Future Image/WENN.com

“The hours of recordings reveal the true nature and dynamic of our relationship, including Amber’s confessions of serial violence against me.”

“The threat that nobody will believe I am a victim of domestic violence, and her own acknowledgement that she could not control her violence.”

“She knew what she wanted and I was an easy target… She had well and truly researched me and my interests and she would try to pose as some expert or intellectual on these things to try to ingratiate herself with me,” Johnny alleged.

The actor believes the article written by The Sun was an attempt to “finish his career”, and in court last week, his lawyers argued that allegations of him being a “wife beater” are “complete lies”.

Lia Toby | WENN

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