J ohnny Depp returned to the witness stand on Wednesday to refute his ex-wife Amber Heard’s testimony in their multi-million dollar defamation battle, saying the abuse claims she levelled against him were “unimaginably brutal, cruel and false”.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star, 58, is suing Heard for $50 million, saying she defamed him when she said she was a victim of domestic abuse. Heard, 36, has countersued for $100 million, arguing that Depp smeared her when his lawyer said her claims were a “hoax”.

On Wednesday, Depp’s team called him back to testify to help rebut Heard, who accused Depp of multiple instances of physical and sexual abuse before and during their brief marriage.

Under questioning by his attorneys, Depp used a string of adjectives to describe how it felt to listen to Heard’s accounts during the trial, now in its sixth and final week.

Amber Heard listens to her ex-husband’s testimony / POOL/AFP via Getty Images

“Horrible, ridiculous, humiliating, ludicrous, painful, savage,” Depp said, then added: “Unimaginably brutal, cruel and false. All false.”

“No human being is perfect,” he added. “But I have never in my life committed sexual battery, physical abuse.”

Closing arguments in the trial, which is being held in Vriginia, are scheduled for Friday.

Earlier on Wednesday, model Kate Moss appeared briefly to rebut Heard’s claim that she had heard “rumours” of an altercation involving a staircase when the pair were dating in the 1990s.

Kate Moss is sworn in to testify via video link during her ex-boyfriend Johnny Depp's defamation trial / REUTERS

Moss testified that she slipped on the staircase and injured her back during a vacation the couple took in Jamaica. Depp rushed to help her, carried her to her room and summoned medical services, she said.

“He never pushed me, kicked me or threw me down any stairs,” said Moss, who appeared via video from Gloucestershire.

Depp in earlier testimony told jurors that he never hit Heard and argued that she was the one who turned violent.

Heard, best known for her role in Aquaman, met Depp in 2011 while filming The Rum Diary and the pair wed in February 2015. Their divorce was finalised about two years later.

At the centre of the legal case is a December 2018 opinion piece by Heard that appeared in the Washington Post. The article never mentioned Depp by name, but his lawyer told jurors it was clear that Heard was referring to him when she said she was “a public figure representing domestic abuse”.

Johnny Depp v Amber Heard defamation lawsuit in Virginia (2022) 1 /45 Johnny Depp v Amber Heard defamation lawsuit in Virginia (2022) AP POOL/AFP via Getty Images AP POOL/AFP via Getty Images Fairfax County Court . POOL/AFP via Getty Images POOL/AFP via Getty Images POOL/AFP via Getty Images POOL/AFP via Getty Images Fairfax County Court Fairfax County Court Amber Heard was tearful in court (Elizabeth Frantz/AP) AP Actor Johnny Depp walks during his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, on April 27, 2022. POOL/AFP via Getty Images Actor Johnny Depp greets his legal team as he arrives in the courtroom AP Actor Amber Heard speaks to a member of her legal team after a recess amid her ex-husband Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against her POOL/AFP via Getty Images Actor Amber Heard appears in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va., Thursday, April 28, 2022. AP Amber Heard took to the stand on Wednesday REUTERS Johnny Depp demonstrates what he claims was an alleged attack by his ex-wife Amber Heard as he testifies during his defamation trial against Heard, at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse POOL/AFP via Getty Images Amber Heard speaks with her legal team in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court AP Amber Heard filming Johnny Depp smashing kitchen cupboards Handout Amber Heard looks on at the end of the second day of her ex-husband Johnny Depp’s testimony during his defamation trial against her, at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse POOL/AFP via Getty Images Johnny Depp is seen laying in a hospital after his finger was injured while he and his ex-wife Amber Heard were in Australia in March 2015, in this evidence photograph that was displayed as Depp testified during his defamation trial against Heard at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse REUTERS Johnny Depp testifies at the Fairfax County Circuit Court AP Amber Heard arrives in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court AP Amber Heard attends her ex-husband Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against her, as a picture of an injury to his face is seen on a screen, at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse REUTERS A knife with an inscription “from Amber Heard to Johnny Depp” on the blade is seen during Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse POOL/AFP via Getty Images Evidence appears on a monitor in the courtroom during the 50 million US dollar Depp vs Heard defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court REUTERS Amber Heard listens in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court AP Evidence appears on a monitor in the courtroom during the 50 million US dollar Depp vs Heard defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court REUTERS Amber Heard is embraced as she arrives at the start of the day during the 50 million US dollar Depp vs Heard defamation trial at the Fairfax County Circuit Court REUTERS Johnny Depp demonstrates how he claims he shielded himself from an alleged attack by his ex-wife Amber Heard as he testifies during his defamation trial against Heard POOL/AFP via Getty Images Johnny Depp displays the middle finger of his hand, injured while he and his ex-wife Amber Heard were in Australia in 2015 AP Johnny Depp holds up his bandaged finger, injured while he and his ex-wife Amber Heard were in Australia in March 2015, in this evidence photograph that was displayed as Depp testified during his defamation trial against Heard at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse REUTERS

Depp, once among Hollywood’s biggest stars, said Heard’s allegations cost him “everything”. A new “Pirates” movie was put on hold, and Depp was replaced in the Fantastic Beasts film franchise, a Harry Potter spinoff.

Heard’s attorneys have argued that she told the truth and that her opinion was protected free speech under the US Constitution’s First Amendment.

Depp lost a libel case less than two years ago against The Sun, which labelled him a “wife beater.” A High Court judge in London ruled that he had repeatedly assaulted Heard.

Depp’s lawyers filed the US case in Fairfax County, Virginia, because the Washington Post is printed there. The newspaper is not a defendant.