ACTRESS Winona Ryder has said Johnny Depp was "never abusive" during their relationship.

The Pirates Of The Caribbean star has been accused of domestic violence by his estranged wife Amber Heard, during their high-profile divorce battle.

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But Ryder, who was once engaged to Depp, said he was a "loving, caring guy" when they dated in the early 1990s and she had never seen him be violent.

She told Time magazine: "I can only speak from my own experience, which was wildly different than what is being said.

"He was never, never that way towards me. Never abusive at all towards me. I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves."

Claims of domestic abuse against Depp emerged after Heard filed for divorce in May, citing irreconcilable differences.

In court papers filed in Los Angeles, the 30-year-old actress said Depp had a "history of drug and alcohol abuse" and been "verbally and physically abusive" for the entirety of their four-year-relationship.

She submitted photographs appearing to show her bruised face, which she said was a result of Depp throwing a mobile phone at her.

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Los Angeles Superior Court judge Carl Moor granted a temporary restraining order and ruled that Depp, 53, must stay at least 100 yards away from his wife.

Ryder, 44, said she found the allegations "shocking" and she had "never seen him be violent toward a person before".

" I'm not calling anyone a liar," she said. "I'm just saying, it's difficult and upsetting for me to wrap my head around it. Look, it was a long time ago, but we were together for four years, and it was a big relationship for me.

"Imagine if someone you dated when you were - I was 17 when I met him - was accused of that. It's just shocking."

Depp and Heard are due to appear at a hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court on August 15.

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A status conference will be held on August 2, but neither Depp nor Heard was expected to attend, a court spokeswoman said.