Kate Moss has opened up during an interview with BBC radio show Desert Island Discs, about why she chose to testify in ex-boyfriend Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard.
When Moss was asked about defending both Depp and fashion designer John Galliano, who was found guilty of making racist and antisemitic comments in a Paris court in 2011.
“I believe in the truth, and I believe in fairness and justice,” Moss replied. “I know that John Galliano is not a bad person — he had an alcohol problem and people turn. People aren’t themselves when they drink, and they say things that they would never say if they were sober.”
Of Depp, she continued: “I know the truth about Johnny. I know he never kicked me down the stairs. I had to say that truth.”
The model, who dated Depp from 1994-98, was drawn in the legal battle after Heard testified about a fight with Depp during which Heard punched him to protect her sister.
“I just see my little sister with her back to the staircase and Johnny swings at her,” Heard testified. “I don’t hesitate or wait. I just instantly think of Kate Moss and the stairs, and I swung at him.”
Heard’s mention of Moss gave Depp’s lawyers an opening to bring Moss in as a rebuttal witness.
Depp’s attorney Benjamin Chew excitedly pumped his fist when Heard mentioned Moss on the stand, paving the way for Moss’ testimony. Moss discounted Heard’s third-party account of the incident.
“As I left the room, I slid down the stairs and I hurt my back,” Moss testified. “And I screamed because I didn’t know what happened to me, and I was in pain. He came running back to help me and carried me to my room and got me medical attention.”
Depp was ultimately handed a sweeping legal victory by the jury in his case against Heard.
