Amber Heard Reportedly 'Happier Than Ever' With Girlfriend Bianca Butti Amid Johnny Depp Legal Turmoil

While the legal drama between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp continues making headlines, Heard has stayed out of the fray and tuned to new girlfriend Bianca Butti for support. One source said the Aquaman star is "fine and happier than ever." The comments come a few weeks after The Daily Mail published audio from a 2015 therapy session in which Depp and Heard accuse each other of domestic violence during their brief marriage.

"Amber is fine and happier than ever," a source told Us Weekly this week. "Bianca has been very supportive of her, and Amber feels like she can trust her and be comfortable around her, especially since they were friends first."

The source said Heard, 33, is "enjoying spending time" with Butti, 38. "She really loves her," according to the source.

Heard and Butti were first linked in January when they were spotted kissing in Palm Springs, California and attended the 2020 Women's Day March together in Los Angeles on Jan. 18. A source confirmed to Us Weekly on Jan. 22 the two are an item.

"Amber and Bianca are dating and hooking up. Amber is not trying to be low-key about it," the source said, adding that Heard "feels comfortable kissing Bianca and holding her hands in public at this point."

The two "started as friends and it turned into something more," the source added.

Butti is a cinematographer. She shot episodes of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, and the movies Hank and Asha, Eyes of the Moon and An American in Texas.

Since Heard and Depp broke up in 2016, she dated Elon Musk, Vito Schnabel and It director Andy Muschietti. She has openly discussed being bisexual in the past. She told an audience at The Economist's Pride & Prejudice Summit in March 2017 it did have an impact on her career.

"It did impact my career, it was difficult," she said at the time. "It was not easy. I was the only one working in this way, so it was definitely difficult because no one had done it. I did that even though everyone told me it would end my career, without a doubt."

Earlier this month, The Daily Mail published a recording from a therapy session between Depp and Heard, made while they were still married. In it, Heard apologized to Depp for hitting him the night before the recording was made.

"I'm sorry that I didn't, uh, uh, hit you across the face in a proper slap, but I was hitting you, it was not punching you. Babe, you're not punched," Heard said. "I don't know what the motion of my actual hand was, but you're fine, I did not hurt you, I did not punch you, I was hitting you."

In another portion, Depp insisted her allegations against him were "not true."

The leak inspired "Justice for Johnny" to trend on Twitter, and Heard's Instagram followers have bombarded her recent posts with criticisms. However, Heard has not commented on the tape.

Depp and Heard finalized their divorce in 2017. Early last year, Depp filed a $50 million defamation suit against her in response to a December 2018 op-ed Head wrote about how being a victim of domestic violence hurt her career.

Photo credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Film Independent