Amber Heard appears to confess to hitting her ex-husband Johnny Depp in leaked audio of a conversation between the former couple.
In the shocking recording, released by UK tabloid the Daily Mail, the troubled pair apparently attempt to navigate the constant violent outbursts in their relationship.
"I can't promise I won't get physical again, I get so mad I lose it," Heard tells Depp at one point.
Referring to an incident that appeared to have happened the night before, Heard says: "I f**king was hitting you... I don't know what the motion of my hand was, but you're fine, I did not hurt you, I did not punch you, I was hitting you."
Heard admits: "I did start a physical fight," but accuses her then-husband of participating in the violence, claiming: "You hit back", to which Depp responds: "I pushed you".
Heard admits that she "f**ked up" the night before, and that she blamed herself, but took issue with Depp's habit of "splitting" - leaving the house when they fight.
Later, Depp explains why he removed himself from the situation, saying he "couldn't take the idea of more physical abuse on each other".
"Because had we continued it, it would have gotten f**king bad. And baby, I told you this once. I'm scared to death we are a f**king crime scene right now."
The Pirates of the Carribean actor adds that the couple need to take space when things get violent, "so that we don't f**king kill each other or f**king worse, you know, f**king really kill each other or f**king break up or whatever."
Depp and Heard married in 2015, but split less than two years later. The ensuing divorce was messy, with both parties taking legal action and each accusing the other of domestic violence.
In her own words, Heard went on to become "a public figure representing domestic abuse", frequently speaking out about being a victim of Depp's alleged violence. Depp denied the claims, and in turn hit back with his own claims of Heard's abuse.
Fans of Depp got the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp trending on Twitter shortly after the tape was released.
A statement from Depp's lawyer Adam Waldman told the Daily Mail the tapes contain "chilling confessions of violence" which "expose and destroy her abuse hoax".
Meanwhile, Heard's spokesperson dubbed Depp "vindictive" for allegedly leaking the tapes, calling it "the latest misogynistic effort at victim-blaming".
