Amber Heard was allegedly attacked by Johnny Depp "many times", according to her friend iO Tillett Wright.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
The 'Magic Mike' star's pal called 911 following an explosive row between the couple, during which the actor allegedly hit her pal with an iPhone but says it wasn't the first time she witnessed the aftermath of Depp's outbursts.
Writing in a blog post for Refinery 29, she said: "I called 911 because she never would.
"I was on the phone with both of them and heard it drop, heard him say, 'What if I pulled your hair back?' and her scream for my help, I wondered like so many times before if I should break the code of silence that surrounds celebrities and invite the police into the situation."
The TV presenter says Depp, 52, swore to "never to do it again" each time and recalled another incident in December when he allegedly flew off the handle.
She said: "Every time it happened, her first thought was about protecting him... I know this because I went to their house. I saw the pillow with my own eyes. I saw the busted lip and the clumps of hair on the floor."
Wright added that Depp was once a person she considered to be as close as a "brother" to her.
She wrote: "He had been my friend, too, a person I loved very much. A person I had once referred to as a brother...I knew him to be soft and gentle, with a temper and a dark side, but a golden heart. I didn't want to believe it either, until I saw the wreckage."
Friends of the star have defended him against the allegations, while his representative has slammed the "salacious" claims.
A spokesperson previously said: "Given the brevity of this marriage and the most recent and tragic loss of his mother, Johnny will not respond to any of the salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation and lies about his personal life.
"Hopefully the dissolution of this short marriage will be resolved quickly."
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