Johnny Depp says he was “probably the closest I’ve ever been” to having a nervous breakdown after his finger was sliced off by a vodka bottle during an argument with former wife Amber Heard.

The actor recounted in graphic detail an alleged incident which took place in Australia in March 2015, which left his finger looking “like Vesuvius”, as he gave evidence at the US defamation trial on Wednesday.

He said that in his state of shock he had written “little reminders” of Ms Heard’s “lies” in blood on the walls of the property they were staying at.

Mr Depp is suing Ms Heard for libel over a 2018 article she wrote in The Washington Post, which his lawyers say falsely implies he physically and sexually abused her.

The actor has testified that during their relationship Ms Heard had a “need for conflict” and was often abusive and violent towards him.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, Mr Depp was asked about the incident in Australia in which he claimed his former partner had thrown two vodka bottles at him

“She threw the large bottle and it made contact and shattered everywhere,” he told the court.

“I honestly didn’t feel the pain at all at first, I felt no pain whatsoever. What I felt was heat and I felt as if something was dripping down my hand.

“I looked down and realised that the tip of my finger had been severed and I was looking directly at my bone sticking out, and the meaty portion of the inside of your finger.

“Blood was just pouring out and…I don’t know what a nervous breakdown feels like, but that’s probably the closest I’ve ever been. Nothing made sense.

“I knew in my mind and in my heart, this is not life. No-one should have to go through this.

He continued: “I started to write in my own blood on the walls little reminders from our past that essentially represented lies that she had told me, lies that I had caught her in.”

Mr Depp said that “amongst the madness” he had sought refuge in the bathroom and called his doctor and asked him to come immediately.

He added that he had later lied about the cause of the injury, telling hospital staff he had “smashed it in these large accordion doors”.

“I lied because I did not want to disclose… that it had been Ms Heard that had thrown a vodka bottle at me and then took my finger off,” he said.

“I didn’t want to get her in trouble.

“I tried to keep things as easy as possible for everyone, I did not want to put her name in the mix.”

Ms Heard has previously claimed that she was the victim of abuse during the Australia trip, and described the incident as a “three-day hostage situation”.

Much of the evidence heard so far at the trial, taking place in Virginia, has made reference to Mr Depp’s use of substances while the two were together, which Ms Heard’s lawyers said have triggered violent episodes.

The actor said he had been “more inspired” to turn to drugs and alcohol because of the “constant clashes” between himself and Ms Heard.

“There wasn’t a day that she would wake up and you’d expect something would hit the fan, and pretty much like clockwork it did,” he said.

“I had to have something to distance me and distance my heart from those verbal attacks, I had to have something to be able to maintain me.”

Mr Depp said that over time his marriage to Ms Heard had begun to feel like he was “in a relationship” with his mother.

“Things started coming up and I was suddenly just wrong about everything,” he said.

“If you tried to explain yourself and correct the problem, the misunderstanding, it would then begin to heighten as Ms Heard was unable to be wrong.

“It just didn’t happen, she couldn’t be wrong.”

Mr Depp wore a grey suit and light-coloured paisley tie and had his long hair tied back, and Ms Heard wore a light yellow blazer with her hair down.

The actress is also due to give evidence during the trial at Fairfax County District Court, which is set to last a total of seven weeks.