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Amber Heard says she still 'ABSOLUTELY LOVES' Johnny Depp despite abuse claims

The 'Aquaman' star said she still has love for her ex-husband despite having accused him of physical and psychological abuse

Amber Heard has revealed that she still loves Johnny Depp nearly two weeks after a Virginia-based jury found that she had defamed her ex-husband in a high-profile trial.

Heard, 36, sat down with NBC host Savannah Guthrie for an explosive interview that aired on the 'Today' show in two parts on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 14 and 15, before a special that is slated to release this Friday, June 17, on 'Dateline'. The embattled actress spoke out for the first time after the sensational trial, which centered around a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which he claimed to be a domestic abuse survivor. While she had not named Depp, 59, in the article, his lawyers said the implications were obvious and damaged their client's career prospects.

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Heard faced the music in court for six weeks as she squared off with Depp's lawyers, answering their questions as they scrutinized her mental health, behavior, and credibility. Despite the ordeal and subsequent loss, the 'Aquaman' star said that she still has love for her ex-husband, who she accused of physical and psychological abuse. “Absolutely. I love him. I loved him with all my heart,” Heard told Guthrie in an exclusive interview for NBC News. “I have no bad feelings or ill will toward him at all.”

On June 1, a Virginia-based jury ruled in a unanimous decision that Heard defamed Depp and awarded the latter $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Presiding Judge Penney Azcarate reduced the punitive damages to $350K per Virginia law. The jury also awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages in her counterclaim. Guthrie cited an Instagram statement Heard issued ahead of the trial and questioned the actress about her claim at the time that she still loved him. “On the first day of the trial, you issued a statement,” the host remarked. “And part of the statement said, ‘I still have love for Johnny.’”

Heard told Guthrie she still had the same feelings. “I tried the best I could to make a deeply broken relationship work. And I couldn’t. I have no bad feelings or ill will toward him at all,” she said. “I know that might be hard to understand, or it might be really easy to understand. If you’ve just ever loved anyone, it should be easy," Heard added. 

The actress has maintained throughout the trial that her sole motivation for penning the aforementioned op-ed was to help the #MeToo movement, which was peaking at the time. Considering the revolutionary movement, Guthrie asked Heard, “Legions of powerful men being canceled, losing their jobs. Did you want that to happen to Johnny Depp?”

“Of course not,” Heard responded, adding, “It wasn’t about him.”

That said, the same interview also saw Heard label Depp a "liar" as she reiterated claims that he physically assaulted her during their troubled marriage, potentially risking another lawsuit. Heard also said the jury was duped by her "fantastic actor" ex who had "convinced the world he had scissors for fingers" in a bizarre reference to his leading role in Tim Burton's 1990 movie 'Edward Scissorhands.'