Actor Depp Denies Slapping Ex-Wife in Row over 'Wino Forever' Tattoo

Actor Johnny Depp arrives at the High Court in London, Britain July 7, 2020. (Reuters)
Actor Johnny Depp arrives at the High Court in London, Britain July 7, 2020. (Reuters)
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Actor Depp Denies Slapping Ex-Wife in Row over 'Wino Forever' Tattoo

Actor Johnny Depp arrives at the High Court in London, Britain July 7, 2020. (Reuters)
Actor Johnny Depp arrives at the High Court in London, Britain July 7, 2020. (Reuters)

Hollywood star Johnny Depp denied slapping his ex-wife Amber Heard after he became angry because she mocked him over one of his tattoos, London's High Court heard on Wednesday.

Giving evidence on the second day of his libel trial against Britain's Sun newspaper, Depp was asked by the paper's lawyer about an incident at Heard's home in March 2013 when he had "fallen off the wagon" and it was alleged he had struck her.

Sasha Wass, the Sun's lawyer, said Depp, who had started drinking again after months of sobriety, had become angry when she laughed at one of his tattoos which he had changed from "Winona forever" - a reference to his former girlfriend Winona Ryder - to "Wino forever".

He had then slapped her three times because she had initially not reacted, Wass said.

"That's not the case, that's untrue. It didn't happen," Depp said. "I don't recall any argument about any of my tattoos."

Depp is suing The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, over an article he wrote in which he labelled the actor a "wife beater", based on allegations from actress Heard.

The paper says its account is true and that Heard, 34, says Depp punched, slapped and kicked her during violent rages, brought on by anger and jealousy and fueled by alcohol and drugs, which put her in fear for her life.

In evidence and in his witness statement to the court on Tuesday, Depp, 57, accused Heard, who is also attending the trial, of lying, saying she had attacked him, severing his finger off during one encounter.

He denies that he turned into "the monster" when under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Among the evidence given to the court on Tuesday was a detailed account of Depp's heavy drinking and drug-taking, with the actor saying he had tried "every drug known to man" and spent $30,000 a month on wine.

He said he had introduced his 13-year-old daughter to marijuana, saying he wanted to be sure the drug was good quality and she was in a safe environment when she tried it, and that singer Elton John had helped him get treatment for his drinking.

Heard or her friends were also accused by Depp of defecating in their bed as a prank, and Heard was accused of having affairs with Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and actor James Franco.

The couple met on the set of the 2011 film "The Rum Diary" and married in February 2015. However, Heard filed for divorce after 15 months and their divorce was finalized in 2017. The case is set to last three weeks.



Tomorrowland Music Festival Opens after its Main Stage was Destroyed by Huge Fire

The burned main stage is seen at the Tomorrowland music festival in Boom, Belgium, Friday, July 18, 2025, two days after a huge fire destroyed the stage on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
The burned main stage is seen at the Tomorrowland music festival in Boom, Belgium, Friday, July 18, 2025, two days after a huge fire destroyed the stage on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
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Tomorrowland Music Festival Opens after its Main Stage was Destroyed by Huge Fire

The burned main stage is seen at the Tomorrowland music festival in Boom, Belgium, Friday, July 18, 2025, two days after a huge fire destroyed the stage on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
The burned main stage is seen at the Tomorrowland music festival in Boom, Belgium, Friday, July 18, 2025, two days after a huge fire destroyed the stage on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Fans roared in excitement and organizers sighed with relief as the Tomorrowland music festival kicked off Friday — just two days after a massive fire engulfed the main stage and threw one of Europe's biggest summer concert events into doubt.

Workers labored around the clock to clear out the debris from the elaborate backdrop that was consumed in Wednesday's fire.

Shouting ‘’We made it!'', the festival's opening performers, Australian electronic music group Nervo, were able to take to the main stage Friday after a last-minute scramble and slight delay. Some charred frames were still visible behind them.

No one was hurt in the fire, organizers said. The causes are being investigated.
Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world attend Tomorrowland's annual multi-day festival outside the Belgian town of Boom.

Some 38,000 people were camping at the festival site Friday, Tomorrowland spokesperson Debby Wilmsen said.

’’Maybe there are some few people that say, OK, we would like to have a refund, but it’s only like a very small percentage because most of them are still coming to the festival,” she told AP.

“It is all about unity, and I think with a good vibe and a positive energy that our festival-goers give to each other and the music we offer, I think they will still have a good time,″ she said. ’’We really tried our best.″

Australian fans Zak Hiscock and Brooke Antoniou — who traveled half the world to see the famed festival as part of a summer holiday in Europe — described hearing about the fire.

“We were sitting having dinner when we actually heard the news of the stage burning down. We were very devastated and shattered, quite upset because we travelled a long way,'' Hiscock said.

Ukrainian visitor Oleksandr Beshkynskyi shared their joy that the festival went ahead as planned.

‘’It’s not just about the one DJ or two DJs you’re looking to see, but about all the mood and about the dream being alive," Beshkynskyi said.