A judge has barred ex Hollywood couple Jonny Depp and Amber Heard from signing autographs outside of court, and says she does not want their defamation trial, starting today in the US, to become a circus.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard banned from giving autographs outside court by judge

Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard have been banned from giving autographs to fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the pair outside of court, as their bitter multi-million dollar defamation case begins in the US.

The judge gave the ruling as she warned she did not want the trial, taking place in Virginia, to become a circus, while dozens of supporters, including a member of a Johnny Depp fan group, gathered outside.

The latest trial, which begins today, between the warring stars stems from a complaint filed in 2019 by Depp, who alleges Heard defamed him in an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018.

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The actress, 35, described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse” in the piece.

He has asked for £38.4 million in damages.

Heard filed a counterclaim, accusing Depp of allegedly orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and describing his lawsuit as a continuation of “abuse and harassment.”

She has asked for £76.7 million in damages and immunity from Depp’s claims.

The couple were bought into the Fairfax courthouse amid secrecy, as Judge Penney Azcarate and both legal teams spent the day selecting the jury, which will hear from more than 100 witnesses and could last at least six weeks.

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One Depp supporter outside the court was Debbie Debowski, a member of the fan group the 'Johnny Depp Culprits' who flew in from Houston, Texas.

She said: 'I want Johnny to know how much his fans love him. He's just a normal guy, he's gentle and sweet. It's inconceivable that he could behave the way Amber said he did.'

Along with domestic abuse experts and forensic experts, there are also some recognisable names among the long list of witnesses in the trial.

On Depp’s side, there’s British actor Paul Bettany, who exchanged texts with Depp about Heard.

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The actress’s list includes her ex-boyfriend Elon Musk and actor James Franco, whom Heard said once inquired about bruises on her face following an alleged abusive incident with Depp.

The trial comes after Depp lost a libel case in which he sued News Group Newspapers, publisher of the Sun, for publishing a 2018 story with the headline “Gone Potty: How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?”

Both actors appeared during the 2020 trial and detailed their volatile relationship.

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Depp, 58, denied any physical abuse. Heard alleged he assaulted her 14 times. It was later found by the judge that 'there was enough evidence to support her claims about 12 incidents,” and he said “the Sun had proved its article was ‘substantially true.’ ”

After the trial ended, Warner Bros. removed Depp from the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

Heard told her Instagram followers ahead of the trial: “I’m going to go offline for the next several weeks. As you may know, I’ll be in Virginia where I face my ex-husband Johnny Depp in court.”

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She continued: “Johnny is suing me for an op-ed I wrote in The Washington Post, in which I recounted my experience of violence and domestic abuse.

'I never named him, rather I wrote about the price women pay for speaking against men in power. I continue to pay that price, but hopefully when this case concludes, I can move on, and so can Johnny.

“I have always maintained a love for Johnny, and it brings me great pain to have to live out the details of our past life together in front of the word,” Heard said.

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Depp and Heard met in 2009 while filming the movie “The Rum Diary”; they started dating around early 2012 and married three years later

In May 2016, Los Angeles police were called to a domestic dispute at Depp’s Los Angeles home but determined there was no evidence of a crime.

Heard filed for divorce days later, citing irreconcilable differences and a restraining order, accusing Depp of repeated domestic violence. She was granted a temporary restraining order, while Depp’s representatives vehemently denied all abuse allegations.