Amber Heard felt humiliated and had faced hundreds of abuse threats after testifying at Johnny Depp’s trial with her.
In her closing statement, the actress said: “Perhaps it’s easy to forget, but I am a human being.”
Mr Depp, 58, is suing Ms Heard, 36, over an article in which she said she was a victim of domestic violence.
He has repeatedly and categorically denied her claims.
Over more than a month of testimony, jurors have heard differing accounts of incidents that took place throughout the couple’s troubled two-year relationship.
Both have accused each other
Both actors have accused the other of being the aggressor in their relationship and have called witnesses to testify on their behalf. However, a number of witnesses called by Mr Depp’s team directly contradict Ms Heard’s claims.
In a court statement on Thursday, Ms. Heard said, “I know how many people will come out and say whatever for him.” This phenomenon is what prompted her to publish an op-ed in the Times last week.
On Wednesday, Ms. Heard testified to Mr. Depp’s assault against her in a tense exchange with his lawyer, Camille L. Vasquez. The exchange focussed on an image of spilled wine, one of several pictures Ms. Heard presented as evidence of the couple’s violent altercation which took place in 2016.
In her testimony, Ms Heard claimed the photos had been redacted or edited by Mr Depp’s lawyers to benefit his case.
“I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t make arguments to the jury,” Ms Vasquez said firmly. “I didn’t ask you about anything.”
During her testimony, Ms Heard repeatedly denied accusations she was lying or misleading jurors during the trial.
Her testimony, she said, has led to hundreds of death threats a day and forced her to relive the trauma of her marriage.
“This is horrible,” she said. “It’s humiliating for any human being to go through, and perhaps it’s easy to forget that I am a human being.” She paused and added, “As I stand here today, I can’t have a career. I can’t even have people associate with me because of the threats and attacks they’ll have to endure.”
Actor Johnny Depp has sued actress Amber Heard for $50 million (£40 million) for a 2018 comment piece she published in The Washington Post in which she stated she was the victim of abuse.
Courtney Love was not named in the suit, but her attorneys have said that it “incalculably” damaged her career. She has countersued him for $100 million.
Closing arguments in the case will take place on Friday, followed by jury deliberations.