2:36 PM PT -- Depp detailed how he and Amber became an item, saying they met during the production of "The Rum Diary" -- during which they started a romantic relationship that blossomed over thereafter.
Johnny spoke fondly of that early window -- about a year and a half or so, he explains -- saying Amber seemed to be perfect in his eyes and a good fit for him musically, aesthetically and otherwise. Not too long after that, though, Depp says things started to look bad.
He described how Amber would get upset if things in her routine with him got broken -- namely, an alleged incident in which she got ticked off over him taking off his boots by himself ... something she'd become accustomed to doing herself, and for which he says she chastised him. He also testified that she would dictate his bedtimes, which he found weird.
Johnny was in the middle of explaining Amber's friend dynamic and how he helped a handful of her pals out with free places to live -- but the judge paused his testimony for the day. He's set to take the stand again tomorrow.
1:40 PM PT -- Johnny Depp just testified about his well-chronicled drug use, owning up to it and testifying that he never used as a way to "party," but rather to numb pain that had stayed with him throughout his life ... dating back to his childhood, which he says was abusive and hard.
JD noted he started doing drugs when he was 11, popping his mother's nerve pills ... and trying different substances as he grew up. He also testified that Amber's characterization of his drug and alcohol use was grossly exaggerated and embellished, noting he feels like she weaponized that aspect of his life when things went sour between them.
Johnny says he was addicted to Roxicodone at one point -- an opiate -- but eventually kicked it entirely and detoxed. He vowed on the stand he would never go down that hole again.
11:58 AM PT -- Depp testified that the beginning of his relationship with Heard was great and he thought she was "too good to be true." He said things started to unravel after about a year and a half and she "became another person." He claims she would become visibly shaken and upset when parts of her routine were broken.
11:40 AM PT -- Depp just took the stand. He said he never struck Heard or any woman in his life. He said he felt the need to stand up against Heard's claims because he felt responsible to stand up for his kids, who were getting approached about the allegations.
He said he's tried to live his life as a private person, so sharing the intimate details of his private life is "quite exposing and unfortunate."
Amber is inside the courtroom watching his testimony.
Johnny Depp will take the stand Tuesday in his super bitter defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, and he's expected to talk about an incident he says ended the marriage ... when he says she or a friend defecated on his side of the bed.
Johnny is suing Amber for $50 million ... claiming she lied when she accused him of physically abusing her. She's countersuing him for $100 mil for defamation, claiming he coordinated a smear campaign against her.
A key date in the trial is April 22, 2016. Amber was having a birthday party for herself at their downtown L.A. penthouse. Depp showed up late and decided he would bail, which he says enraged Heard. Amber has said Johnny threw a magnum wine bottle at her before leaving.
We're told the housekeeper called Depp the next morning and told him someone had crapped on his side of the bed and then put the covers over it ... he thinks Amber wanted him to unsuspectingly hop in bed and hit the poop.
Depp believes either Amber or one of her friends is the culprit. Amber has said one of their Yorkshire terriers was the pooper, but Depp has scoffed at that, saying the poop was too large for a 3 to 4 pound dog to excrete.
Johnny has said the pooping incident was the final straw in their marriage.
As you know ... Johnny sued a British publication for defamation in England and lost the case ... they called him a wife beater and the judge concluded the allegation was "substantially true." The current trial is in Virginia, so it remains to be seen if he has better luck getting a second bite of the apple.
Originally Published -- 1:00 AM PT