Amber Heard claimed Johnny Depp gave her ‘two black eyes’ the day before she appeared on The Late, Late Show with James Corden – but the stylist who did her make-up told a court today that she had ‘no visible’ injuries.
Samantha McMillen said she spent ‘much of the afternoon and early evening’ with Heard on December 16, 2015 as she prepared to appear on James Corden’s show – and could ‘see clearly’ that Heard had no marks, cuts or bruises.
Depp is alleged to have been violent towards Ms Heard in an argument at their Los Angeles penthouse the day before, which he denies. The Hollywood star is suing The Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers, and its executive editor Dan Wootton over an April 2018 article which labelled him a ‘wife beater’.
In a witness statement, Ms McMillen said that she saw Ms Heard ‘in good light, at close range, wearing no makeup’ the following day, adding: ‘I could see clearly that Ms Heard did not have any visible marks, bruises, cuts, or injuries to her face or any other part of her body.’
Ms McMillen claimed that after her appearance on the programme, Heard said to her “can you believe I just did that show with two black eyes?”
The stylist said: “Ms Heard did not have any black eyes, and had been visibly uninjured throughout the day and at that moment.”
Ms McMillen added: ‘I later learned that Ms Heard had accused Mr Depp, in court filings and the media, of violently abusing her the previous night, December 15, 2015.’
As Ms McMillen was leaving Heard’s company on December 16 she claimed to have overheard her say to her friend Raquel Pennington, who came to the show with her, ‘make sure to get those pictures onto my computer’.
But the stylist added that she ‘did not know to what photos she was referring’.
Meanwhile, in a separate alleged incident the following year in May 2016, Ms McMillen also claimed Heard did not have any injuries on her face despite her claiming Depp had attacked her three days before.
In a second alleged incident, Heard claimed that Depp physically abused her on December 15, 2015 – one day before she appeared on The Late, Late Show with James Corden (above)
Heard is pictured on the US chat programme The Late, Late Show on December 16, 2015
Heard poses with guests Luke Bracey and Wanda Skyes on the Late, Late Show with Corden on December 16, 2015
Heard is pictured in a publicity photograph for the Late, Late Show on December 16, 2015
Ms McMillen, who has worked as Depp’s stylist since 2002 and was Heard’s stylist during the couple’s relationship, said she met a tearful Heard at Depp’s house in West Hollywood on May 24, 2016 but could not see any ‘marks, bruises, cuts, or injuries’ to any part of her body.
Three days later Ms McMillen read in the media that Heard had gone to court with ‘prominent injuries visible on her face’, claiming that Depp had inflicted them on her.
But the stylist said Depp had left Los Angeles on May 22 and therefore ‘could not have caused those marks that Ms Heard appeared with in court on May 27, 2016’.
Ms McMillen was called to give evidence from the US by videolink in Depp’s libel claim against The Sun newspaper over an April 2018 article which labelled him a ‘wife beater’.
Sasha Wass, for the The Sun’s publishers News Group Newspapers (NGN), said Ms McMillen had been asked to give evidence about two dates – December 16, 2015 and May 24, 2016 – when she saw Ms Heard.
Amber Heard leaves Los Angeles Superior Court on May 27, 2016 with visible facial injuries
Heard leaves the court in Los Angeles on May 27, 2016, with an apparent bruise on her cheek
Heard claimed at the court in LA on May 27, 2016 that Depp had inflicted the injuries on her
The barrister showed Ms McMillen a number of photos from around the time of December 16, 2015 which are said to show Ms Heard with marks and ‘bruising’ on her face.
After being shown a photo taken on December 15, which apparently shows Heard with a mark on her face, Ms McMillen said: ‘That’s not how I remember her looking on that day.’
Ms Wass asked: ‘Would you agree that shows that she has got bruising coming up underneath both eyes?’
Ms McMillen replied: ‘It’s not a clear picture, but it does look like there is dark around her eyes.’
Ms Wass said: ‘Your evidence is that you never saw any of these injuries on the afternoon or the night of December 16 when you were with Ms Heard.’ Ms McMillen said: ‘That’s correct.’
Ms Wass continued: ‘Ms Heard told a number of people on the 15th and 16th about these injuries. How close would you say you were to Ms Heard?’
Ms McMillen replied: ‘We had a good working relationship.’
Asked if Heard would ‘confide’ in her, Ms McMillen said: ‘I wouldn’t say so, no. I wouldn’t be on her speed dial.’
Samantha McMillen (left) and Heard (right) at an event in Los Angeles on December 10, 2015
Ms McMillen in New York on September 24, 2015 (left) and Hollywood on April 2, 2017 (right)
Ms Wass referred to a message sent by Heard in December 2015, which read: ‘Johnny did a number on me tonight.’ The barrister asked: ‘Did Ms Heard ever say to you that Johnny ‘did a number on her’?’
Ms McMillen said: ‘She never said anything about that to me.’
Ms Wass then asked: ‘Do you consider that your loyalties are more with Mr Depp than with Ms Heard? You have a long-standing relationship with Mr Depp … he’s a big figure in Hollywood.
‘If there was a conflict of loyalties between Mr Depp, your loyalties to Mr Depp on the one hand, and any loyalty you might have to Ms Heard … who would take priority?’
Ms McMillen said: ‘I was close with her at the time. I don’t know what you are insinuating but I would not perjure myself for anyone. I’m obviously loyal because he’s kind and loyal back, but without any other reason than that.’
Ms Wass asked why Ms Heard would make allegations of domestic violence against Mr Depp ‘unless it was true’.
Ms McMillen replied: ‘I don’t know the answer to that.’
Photos after the alleged incident in December 2015 show bruising to Heard’s face after Depp allegedly headbutted her
Photographs show bruising across the bridge of Heard’s nose and under her eyes after Depp allegedly headbutted her in 2015
Ms McMillen told the court that Ms Heard said to her after taping the James Corden show on December 16 2015: ‘Can you believe I just did that show with two black eyes?’
The witness was asked: ‘As far as you could see, did Ms Heard have two black eyes?’
Ms McMillen replied: ‘I never noticed anything like that when I saw her. I never noticed her having two black eyes.’
Ms Wass asked: ‘If you didn’t see any black eyes, did you not ask her what on earth she was talking about?’
Ms McMillen said: ‘I didn’t. We were leaving at the end of the show and we were going our separate ways. We were saying goodbye.
‘I was confused by it and I think I said something like, ‘I don’t know what to say’.
‘I didn’t see the black eyes, but also I don’t want to, you know, raise any sort of – I just wanted to go home.’
Depp, 57, and Heard, 34, met on the set of the 2011 comedy ‘The Rum Diary’ and married in Los Angeles in February 2015. They are pictured at the film’s premiere in London in November 2011
Ms McMillen was then asked about an email sent by Ms Heard to her publicist, Jodi Gottlieb, in the early hours of December 16 which said: ‘I’m really bruised or might have a black eye or two tomorrow … I might not be fit for tomorrow but I won’t know how bad the bruise is until the morning.’
Ms Wass asked if there was ‘any reason’ Ms Heard would send that email ‘unless she actually had what she thought might develop into two black eyes’.
Ms McMillen replied: ‘I can’t think of why she would do that.’
Ms Wass asked: ‘After she said to you, ‘can you believe I just did that show with two black eyes?’, did not you not think to offer her some sort of support or make some sort of inquiry rather than just quickly leave?’
Ms McMillen said: ‘I gave her a hug.’
Ms Wass suggested Ms Heard’s make-up artist, Melanie Inglessis, said she was ‘going to put a really bright red lipstick on Ms Heard to try and cover the mark on her lip’.
Ms McMillen said: ‘I don’t remember that conversation.’
Ms Wass asked: ‘Do you remember Ms Inglessis putting particularly heavy make-up on Ms Heard that night to cover the injuries?’
Ms McMillen replied: ‘I didn’t notice it being any heavier than usual.’