Amber Heard’s former personal assistant said in court that the actress “stole” her narrative of being raped at machete-point in Brazil three decades ago “for her own purpose.”

Kate James, who said she effectively dominated the star’s life while working for her, accused her former employer of “twisted it into her own tale to promote herself.”

The PA testified on the third day of evidence in the contentious defamation trial between Heard and her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, in Fairfax, Virginia.

Ms James told the jury that she worked for the actress from 2012 to 2015 and that they hadn’t communicated in five years.

She characterised her former employer as a “very emotional person,” describing how Heard, 35, would need to be appeased by asking her if she was okay all the time.

Ms James said that the actress would complain or weep about her concerns in her relationship with Depp, but she never informed her about his being aggressive. She said there was never any sign of violence and that she was at their Los Angeles house virtually every day and never saw anything.

When asked whether “nothing you heard, nothing you observed” ever gave her a “inkling of anxiety” about probable violence in the relationship, she answered, “Never.”

Ms James discussed her work on tape, saying that one of her responsibilities was to pick up two copies of any magazine featuring the actress.

Heard instructed her to keep them in her garage because he didn’t want Depp to see them.

She said the actress became “extremely upset” one day when she didn’t put them away.

“She went completely crazy over that,” Ms James explained.

When asked to clarify, she claimed it was “yelling, abuse,” but she couldn’t recall exactly what Heard said. It was “blind fury,” she added.

The jury heard how Heard fired Ms James shortly after her marriage to Depp in 2015.

She said in court that the actress informed her she needed to support her mother and couldn’t afford Ms James as a PA any longer.

Ben Rottenborn, Heard’s lawyer, asks her whether she despised Heard. She said that it would have been nice to have received some warning, but “apart from that, no.”

She added her sacking was a “bit of a shock”, a “bit of a feeling of being blindsided”.

Ms James also told the court she never saw Depp using illegal drugs or abusing alcohol.

She did say there was “lots of heavy drinking” by Heard and she also used magic mushrooms, ecstasy, and cocaine.

She said Heard often appeared drunk and she used prescription medication including Accutane to treat acne that doctors advise should not be taken with alcohol.

The jury was given a text message made by the actor, 58, to her and another individual in June 2016.

It said: “Thank you so much, darling… I’m ashamed I ever f***in’ touched that slime… Returning on Tuesday!!! Then there’s court!!! When I get back, I’ll smack you… Come on over for some purple, and we’ll cure her flabby ass, nice and good!!! J adoreth…”

Ms James stated that she did meet with Depp, but they did not drink red wine [purple]. She said she couldn’t recall specifics, stating, “It was a long time ago, Mr Rottenborn. I don’t recall.”