They were one of Hollywood’s most talked-about couples before their romance came to an abrupt end – and now, Winona Ryder is opening up about her relationship with Johnny Depp in light of Amber Heard’s accusations of domestic violence.
Winona, who dated Johnny for four years in the 1990s, told Time magazine that the allegations of abuse were “unimaginable” to her.
“I can only speak from my own experience, which was wildly different than what is being said,” she revealed.
Winona and Johnny dated for four years and were engaged at one point before their breakup. Photo: Getty
“He was never, never that way towards me. Never abusive at all towards me. I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves,” she continued.
Winona stressed that she wasn’t “calling anyone a liar” and wasn’t there to see what happened for herself, but called the news “shocking”.
“I’m just saying, it’s difficult and upsetting for me to wrap my head around it.”
Watch: Winona Ryder defends ex Johnny Depp – story continues after the video
Amber hit headlines in May after she was granted a domestic violence restraining order against her husband, appearing in court with a bruised face.
The former couple had been married for 15 months when Amber filed for divorce on May 23, citing irreconcilable differences.
In court documents describing an alleged incident on May 21, two days before she filed for divorce, Amber claimed Johnny struck her in the face with his cell phone after becoming “extremely angry” during an argument.
Amber and Johnny pictured during one of their last red carpet appearances together, at the Art of Elysium Gala. Photo: Getty
In the weeks after Amber’s claims became public, many of Johnny’s friends and family came forward to defend him, including his daughter Lily-Rose Depp and his friend Doug Stanhope, who accused Amber of blackmailing the star in a lengthy online column – a claim which Amber strongly denied.
While the scandal grew, Johnny remained outside of the US on tour with his band, The Hollywood Vampires. After finishing up the band’s European tour, he decamped to his private island in the Bahamas, where his family (including daughter Lily-Rose, son Jack and ex-partner Vanessa Paradis) were rumoured to have been visiting him.
Amber and Johnny had been married for around 15 months when she filed for divorce in May. Photo: Getty
It was believed that Johnny would remain in the Bahamas until the controversy died down, with a source telling People Johnny had “no plans to return to LA”. However, over the weekend the Pirates of the Caribbean actor made a surprise appearance at a Los Angeles comedy club, marking his first outing back on US soil since Amber’s allegations became public.
Johnny was pictured with singer Ryan Adams and comedians Kerry Mitchell, Brett Erickson and his pal Doug at the venue. During the night, he also got up on to the stage to join in on comedian Mat Edgar’s act.
Johnny made a surprise appearance at a US comedy club over the weekend. Photo: Instagram/brettnotbrent
