Kate Moss Reveals Why She Testified in Johnny Depp’s Defamation Trial Against Amber Heard

Kate Moss made a surprise appearance during Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial in May, and she finally shared why she agreed to testify in Depp’s defense. Moss, 48, told BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs host Lauren Laverne she “had to say the truth” when she denied a rumor Depp pushed her down a staircase during their relationship in the 1990s. The trial ended on June 1 with the jury agreeing Heard defamed Depp in 2018 and awarded him $10.5 million, while Heard was awarded $2 million from Depp.

The main topic of Desert Island Discs is the subjects’ favorite music and books, but Laverne also asked Moss why she agreed to testify via video link on Depp’s behalf. The supermodel said she defended Depp for the same reason she defended the controversial fashion designer John Galliano, who was found guilty of antisemitic abuse in 2011, notes The Guardian.

“I believe in the truth, and I believe in fairness and justice. 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,” Moss said. “I know the truth about Johnny [Depp]. I know he never kicked me down the stairs. I had to say that truth.”

Depp and Moss dated in the mid-1990s. There were rumors Depp pushed her down a flight of stairs when they vacationed in Jamaica. Moss testified virtually that she did trip down a staircase, but only because she slipped. Depp “never pushed me, kicked me, or threw me down any stairs,” Moss said.

Depp claimed Heard defamed him in her 2018 Washington Post op-ed about being the survivor of domestic violence. Heard also countersued Depp, accusing him of defaming her in three specific comments from his former attorney Adam Waldman gave to The Daily Mail. After two days of deliberation, the Virginia jury awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. (The punitive damages were later lowered to $350,000 in accordance with Virginia law.) Heard was awarded $2 million. Heard appealed the decision.

Moss’ interview with Desert Island Discs was a rarity for the supermodel, who doesn’t speak to the press often. Aside from her comments about the Depp-Heard trial, she also reflected on the impact photos of her using cocaine in 2005 had on her career. She “thought it was really hypocritical” for the press to focus on her drug use when she knew many others who took drugs. She was never charged with a crime, but she did lose contracts with major brands and issued an apology. “I had to apologize really, if people were looking up to me,” Moss told Laverne this weekend.