Johnny Depp says his ex-wife Amber Heard has 'a need for violence,' describing how she would shove him and throw glasses of wine in his face

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star took the stand for a second day on Wednesday in his defamation case against his ex-wife, Heard.

• Johnny Depp took the stand for a second day on Wednesday in his defamation case against Amber Heard. 
• He testified about how arguments with Heard escalated to her shoving him and throwing objects at him. 
• Depp said he stayed with Heard in part because he was afraid of another failed relationship.

Johnny Depp testified about how his relationship with ex-wife Amber Heard soured and eventually turned violent, as the actor took the stand for the second day in a row in the former couple's high-profile defamation trial. 

Depp has accused Heard of ruining his career and reputation by insinuating she had been the victim of domestic violence. Heard countersued, claiming Depp physically assaulted her on multiple occasions before and during their marriage.

The couple divorced in 2016, soon after Heard showed up in court with a bruise on her face to obtain a restraining order against her then-husband.

On the stand Wednesday, Depp claimed that Heard was the real abuser in their relationship. 

He said the change in their relationship started with her making "little digs" and "demeaning name calling." 

Depp said he felt like he was "suddenly wrong" about everything, and suffered an "endless parade of insults." 

"It's not a happy day, it's not a happy week, it's not a happy month when you're constantly being told how wrong you are about this and that, what an idiot you are," he said.

Depp said that sometimes these arguments would escalate to violence, from Heard shoving him to throwing a glass of wine in his face. 

Depp said Heard "has a need for violence" and that her fury "erupts out of nowhere." 

When these arguments would start, Depp says he would try to extricate himself from the situation, sometimes locking himself in the bathroom just to get away from Heard. 

When asked why he stayed with Heard, Depp said that it may have had to do with the fact that he had watched his "stoic" father suffer similar abuse at the hands of his mother. He also says he "didn't want to fail," especially after ending a 14-year relationship with the mother of his children, Vanessa Paradis. 

"I wanted to try to make it work. I thought I could try and help her," Depp said of Heard. 

Depp also said his relationship with Heard as well as what he described as her frequent verbal attacks often contributed to his use of alcohol and drugs. 

"I was more inspired by Miss Heard to reach out for a numbing agent because of the constant clashes," he said. "I had to have something to distance me and distance my heart from those verbal attacks." 

Later during the proceedings, Depp was asked directly about Heard's allegations that he had been physically abusive during their relationship, to which Depp responded: "I have never struck Miss Heard. I have never struck a woman in my life." 

Earlier in the trial, the former couple's marriage counselor testified that their relationship was marked by "mutual abuse." 

Laurel Anderson testified that while she didn't personally witness physical abuse by either, there had been violence from Depp toward Heard and vice versa.