Amber Heard says she does not blame jury in Johnny Depp defamation case

Amber Heard (Yui Mok/PA)

Amber Heard has said she does not blame the jury in her high-profile defamation battle against ex-husband Johnny Depp.

The actress, 36, criticised the role social media played in the case and detailed what she described as “hate and vitriol” targeted at her online in a clip from an upcoming interview with NBC Today journalist Savannah Guthrie.

The full interview special will air this week on Today and on Friday on the Dateline programme.

In the preview, Heard said of the jury: “I don’t blame them. I actually understand. He’s a beloved character and people feel they know him. He’s a fantastic actor.”

.@savannahguthrie sat down for an exclusive conversation with #AmberHeard. "You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair,” Heard shared, in reference to social media representation. pic.twitter.com/56Ju7pYg1x

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 13, 2022

Responding, Guthrie said: “Their job is to not be dazzled by that. Their job is to look at the facts and evidence and they did not believe your testimony or your evidence.”

Heard added: “Again, how could they after listening to three and a half weeks of testimony about how I was a non-credible person, how not to believe a word that came out of my mouth?”

Speaking about the messages she has received online, she said: “Even somebody who is sure I’m deserving of all this hate and vitriol, even if you think that I’m lying, you still couldn’t tell me — look me in the eye and tell me — that you think on social media there’s been a fair representation.

“You cannot tell me that you think that this has been fair.”

Amber Heard says she does not blame the jury for the outcome of her defamation battle. (Victoria Jones/PA)

A jury found a 2018 article Heard wrote for the Washington Post about her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse to be defamatory and awarded $10.35million (£8.2 million) in damages to Depp.

Heard won on one count of her counter-suit, successfully arguing that Depp’s press agent defamed her by claiming her allegations were “an abuse hoax” aimed at capitalising on the #MeToo movement.

The jury awarded her $2 million (£1.5 million) in damages.