Why Amber Heard's Sister 'Begged' Her Not To Marry Johnny Depp
She also claims to have witnessed the alleged abuse between Depp and Heard.
While testifying during Johnny Depp's 2020 libel suit against British publication The Sun, Amber Heard's sister said she begged Heard not to marry Depp.
Heard's sister, Whitney Henriquez, told the court that she didn't want her sister marrying Depp because of his alleged violent behavior towards Heard, according to Variety.
Amber Heard's sister, Whitney, claimed she witnessed Johnny Depp's abuse.
Henriquez said she "felt sick" when Heard called to tell her that she was engaged in September 2013, and said that Heard's relationship with Depp was “tumultuous from the start” and she had noticed “early on” signs of physical abuse, such as bruises, cuts and burns on the actress.
“I saw that her face was swollen and she had a mark under her eye,” Henriquez said. “I had my suspicions before, but it was clear to me that she had been hit.”
After noticing the bruises, Henriquez confronted Heard. “I said: ‘What the f— is happening? You have to talk to me. I’m not stupid, I can see he is hitting you.’ She admitted to me that he had hit her, but at that time she was constantly putting it on herself or blaming herself.”
“I told her it was a bad idea, begged her not to go through with it and said that she should end it because it wasn’t going to get better,” Henriquez continued.
Heard refused, saying that she didn't want to leave the relationship, telling Henriquez, "We fight really hard, but we love even harder."
“I asked [Amber], ‘Why are you putting up with this?’ and told her that him putting a ring on her finger was not going to stop him hitting her."
Henriquez said she had confronted her sister on multiple occasions about the alleged abuse, but the actress was constantly making excuses.
Whitney Heard says she confronted Johnny Depp about the alleged abuse.
Heard's sister says she spoke to Depp about the claims for the first time in 2014, asking him, "Why did you f**king having to hit her?"
Henriquez's claims emerged during a libel suit in which Depp sued the News Group Newspapers and journalist Dan Wootton for an article The Sun had written that described him as a “wife beater.”
Depp vehemently denies that he ever physically assaulted Heard.
Sometimes he would flat out deny it or downplay it by saying, ‘No, I just pushed her, I didn’t hit her.’ Other times, he would acknowledge that he had hit her, but would try to justify it, by claiming she hit him first or ‘she called me a pu–y,’ and would say, ‘Sis, I just lost control'," Henriquez added.
Heard's sister, who had lived in one of Depp's apartments in the same building as the couple, said she had woken up one night to Heard and Depp fighting and went over to their apartment.
Henriquez said she watched Depp throw a Red Bull can at his sobriety nurse, after which he attempted to follow her and her sister up the stairs.
“When he got to the top of the stairs, he was pulling me backwards so he could get to Amber,” Henriquez said. “I remember being scared because I was worried that I would fall backwards and fall down the stairs.”
She also detailed the moment when Depp had grabbed Heard and punched her "really hard in the head with his other hand multiple times."
If you or anyone you know may be experiencing intimate partner violence, please do not hesitate to keep this list close to develop a safe exit strategy. There are also tons of free resources for individuals experiencing intimate partner violence — you are not alone.
Understanding the nuances of all the resources can be overwhelming, however you can get started with the National Domestic Abuse Hotline any time of day by calling 1−800−799−7233. Local organizations in your area, like Women Against Abuse in Philadelphia or Connections For Abused Women and Children in Chicago, as well as RAINN are availble to help you online or in person.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.