The revelation comes amidst claims that the Pirates of the Caribbean star domestically abused Amber, allegedly throwing an iPhone at her after a row over his dying mother.
A source says friction erupted because Johnny’s children Lily Rose, 17, and Jack, 14, didn’t want Amber at the bedside of his mum Betty Sue Palmer in her final moments. She died in Los Angeles after a long illness on May 20, aged 81.
Amber, 30, went public with details of their problems after Johnny’s lawyers rejected her claims for US$50,000 a month in support, US$125,000 for her legal fees, their LA penthouse, his Range Rover and custody of their Yorkshire terriers.
In filed court documents Amber claims Johnny was violent, drunk, high and paranoid.
The couple doesn’t have a prenup so under Californian law, Amber is guaranteed at least one half of however much their combined wealth has increased since they were married.
During that time Johnny, 52, still one of the highest earning actors in Hollywood, was paid a fortune for his role in Alice Through The Looking Glass and the critically-acclaimed Black Mass.
In court documents, Amber alleges she “lived in fear” of Johnny during their 15-month marriage and constantly worried he could return to their Los Angeles condo to “terrorise me physically and emotionally”.
The actress and her lawyer, Samantha Spector, appeared at the Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles where she filed for a domestic violence restraining order.
Johnny was not in court for the filing. Instead, the star was playing with his band, the Hollywood Vampires, at the Rock in Rio Lisboa festival.
A representative for the star said in a statement: “Given the brevity of this marriage and the most recent and tragic loss of his mother, Johnny will not respond to any of the salacious false stories, gossip, misinformation and lies about his personal life.
“Hopefully the dissolution of this short marriage will be resolved quickly.”
As to why she waited so long to seek safety, a source close to the model tells E! News there was always hope that things could get better.
“She tried to hide what was really happening in the marriage from most of her friends because she wanted to believe that it would get better. That things would change.
“But ultimately they didn’t and so she had to do what she did to stop it. What she has done has taken a lot of courage.”
