Winona Ryder is expected to testify in a British court this week that Johnny Depp was “never abusive” during their relationship, a report said Sunday.
The Oscar-nominated actress will appear via video link in London’s High Court as part of her ex-boyfriend’s lawsuit against The Sun newspaper.
He is suing for a 2018 article that referred to him as a “handcuff puncher,” which he vehemently denies.
The 48-year-old Ryder is expected to say the 57-year-old “Pirates of the Caribbean” star is an “extremely caring guy,” The Times UK reported.
His ex-wife, Amber Heard, accused Depp of repeatedly assaulting her during their doomed relationship.
Heard, 34, is also expected to take the position next week as a key defense witness.
Lawyers for The Sun had tried to stop Ryder and another of Depp’s exes, French singer Vanessa Paradis, from presenting evidence, according to The Times.
But Paradis, the mother of Depp’s two children, is expected to testify on his behalf through a video link. The couple bonded in the late 1990s and separated in 2012.
Depp and Ryder, who performed opposite each other in 1990’s “Edward Scissorhands”, were one of the most popular couples in Hollywood in the early 1990s.
He even had “Winona Forever” tattooed on his right arm, before amending the ink to say “Wino Forever” after their separation.
During the first four days of trial last week, Depp denied Heard’s claims that he had become a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” monster who abused her when drinking and using drugs.
One of the charges he contested was that he hit Heard in 2013 for laughing at his infamous ink and insisted, “I don’t recall any discussion about any of my tattoos.”
The trial is expected to last three weeks in total.
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