This article was originally published on The Tea Chat and has been republished to Popular Everything with permission.
The ongoing divorce battle between Fantastic Four‘s Ioan Gruffudd and his estranged wife Alice Evans is looking to be one of the messiest splits in Hollywood history. The more that time has gone on, the more that we have learned about the former couple and their 13-year marriage – apparently, their relationship wasn’t all that it seemed.
From leaking damaging text messages to accusations of domestic abuse, it’s no holds barred for Gruffudd and Evans amid their ongoing court case. Take a look at everything that’s happened so far in their very public breakdown of communication. Their celebrity separation has turned especially ugly over the last year, and it doesn’t look like things are going to get better anytime soon.
Gruffudd and Evans Fall For Each Other on Set Where They Played Each Other’s Love Interest
Welsh-born Titanic star Ioan Gruffudd first met the English-American actress Alice Evans on the set of 2000s 102 Dalmatians. They started off as friends, but it wasn’t long before their relationship blossomed into something much more serious. Evan would later explain, “I first met Ioan in 1999 on the set of 102 Dalmatians. He was a bit cocky then, but by the end of the film we were besotted.”
They waited several years before getting married, however, finally tying the knot in 2007. But it wasn’t because of Gruffudd’s initiative, as Evan actually gave the actor an ultimatum about their relationship – either they would get married within a year or they would break up. While they were still married, Gruffudd once told The Independent: “Alice has been very patient with my procrastinating with my male ways! She did give me somewhat of an ultimatum – a gentle nudge – which was the best thing she could do, really.”
The Married Couple Welcomed Two Children Through the Use of IVF
Gruffudd and Evans appeared to have a blissful married life, welcoming their first child into their family a couple years after their wedding. A few years later, they welcomed their second child, and the public was none the wiser to the fact that there was trouble in paradise. The daughters, Ella and Elsie, were born in 2009 and 2013 through the use of IVF.
Their family of four lived in a sprawling mansion in Los Angeles, decked out with an outdoor pool and spacious interiors. But suddenly in January 2021, Gruffudd and Evans announced to the public that they had split up. They released a joint statement, writing: “As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for our family and we remain committed to our children. Thank you for respecting our privacy.”
Gruffudd Reveals How He and Evans Are Struggling To Make Time for Each Other
One year before Gruffudd and Evans announced that they were parting ways, Gruffudd had stated in an interview that their relationship had been under strain. Gruffudd told The Guardian, “I think we’ve struggled the past four years, making time for each other because physically we’re apart.” He implied that his busy work schedule was making it hard to make time for each other.
Gruffudd implied that his busy work schedule was making it hard to make time for each other. He explained how they were “practical” about work and admitted that Evans was taking on most of the parental responsibilities: “Alice had come back, she had been away for a week. I was showing off – ‘the kids are in bed’ – and she was ‘Yeah, you’ve done one week Ioan, try six months’. ”
Evans Claims She and Gruffudd Are on Good Terms Before He Hands Her Divorce Papers
Evans took to Twitter to claim that her estranged husband would be leaving their family home after falling out of love with her. The tweet was deleted, after which another tweet followed it stating “Hi there. I didn’t delete the tweet from a few hours ago about him leaving. He did. From my account…” She followed that up with: “And hell yes when I am being gaslit and mentally tortured then hell yes I will wash my linen in public.”
A few days later, Evans took to Twitter to confirm that she and Gruffudd were still on amicable terms despite their split. She stated, “We are indeed discussing legal separation, but we are still friends,” adding “You can say what you want about me being an attention seeker but you know it’s not true. You just want a reason to put me down. Please – go ahead. I’m impenetrable ❤️.” Gruffudd filed for divorce with the Los Angeles Superior Court in March 2021, but judging by Evans’ response, she didn’t see it coming.
Evans Tells the Public That Their Kids Found Out About Divorce From an Online Story
Evans wasted no time in telling the public that she didn’t know she was getting served divorce papers, taking to Instagram to address Gruffudd, writing: “Oh, ok. Thanks for letting me know I guess.” She claimed even her daughters found out the separation online: “They didn’t even know. I am with Ella and we both saw it together.”
Her daughters, seven and 11 years old a the time, “didn’t think it was real.” Evans added, “She thought it was just ‘MORE fighting?’ I said no honey I’m afraid this is it.” She also told her followers, “I just opened the paper and read that I was getting divorced. Have to say, he always was a bit of a charmer.” Evans also suggested that the divorce wasn’t her idea, writing “When does one ever know? Don’t you still hope as long as hope is there?”
Alice Tells Instagram That She Knows Who Her Estranged Husband Is Dating
In the same month, Evans posted a video on Instagram claiming she knew that Gruffudd was moving on with another woman, and that she knew who it was. She told her followers, “I can’t sleep. Not a wink. I am terrified for what tomorrow will bring. Oh don’t worry, I’m fully aware of how pathetic that sounds. I’ll make it worse.” At some point she stated “It’s who the girl is. I know!”
Evans later commented “I know he’ll be angry. (he is always angry – he was born angry) But, you see, I think this whole idea of keeping your private lives private is… well. What leads to child abuse. And domestic violence… And mental abuse. I couldn’t believe how many people told me to accept it ‘with dignity’… I think dignity is a way of others telling us to shut up, because THEY don’t want to think about our hurt.”
Evans States That Gruffudd Is “Winding the S**t up Me” and Calls His Divorce Papers a “Phenomenal Scam”
Later in March 2021, Evans went on another Instagram tirade. She claimed that she and Gruffudd were attempting a “collaborative divorce which is somewhere between a really kind way of doing divorce and a phenomenal scam.” She stated that nothing in the legal documents seemed collaborative, “absolutely nothing,” and that Gruffudd was “winding the s**t up me.”
Evans told Instagram that “I have been served with a petition for divorce and it’s come out of the blue and I won’t cry,” before going on an expletive-ridden rant about lawyers. She said, “Lawyers aren’t the law. Lawyers are there to f*** the law. That’s what I always said. Anyway I may have some more thoughts later.”
Evans Claims That Gruffudd Had Ghosted Her “For Almost 10 Months Now”
A few months down the line in October 2021, it appeared as though Gruffudd and Evans hadn’t managed to resolve their differences. Evans told her Twitter followers that her estranged husband was “disingenuous,” going into a long Twitter tirade attempting to expose the Fantastic Four actor. “This is the real Ioan Gruffudd. I’m not bending over for this guy,” she stated, adding “This man is devoid of any empathy whatsoever.”
Evans also accused Gruffudd of ghosting her: “I did my fair share of crying, screaming, accusing. I begged and begged for at least some sort of running discussion, for the kids’ sake. That’s my way of reacting to such a life-changing event. So he ghosted me. I have been ghosted for almost 10 months now.”
Gruffudd Reveals His Girlfriend Bianca Wallace For the First Time on Instagram
That same month, Gruffudd decided to go public with his girlfriend, Bianca Wallace. Wallace is an Australian-born actress who is almost 20 years younger than Gruffudd himself, who he allegedly only met in 2021 (the same year he served Evans divorce papers.)
Apparently, the new couple met on the set of the ABC television drama series Harrow. In the Instagram post that Gruffudd shared with his followers, showing Wallace for the first time, he wrote: “Thank you for making me smile again @iambiancawallace ❤️💫💙” This post elicited a ton of comments from the public, leading to Gruffudd’s decision to hide comments altogether.
Alice Claims That Gruffudd Has Been Having a Three-Year-Long Affair With His New Girlfriend
Before October was over, Evans sent another damning accusation Gruffudd’s way. After Gruffudd went public with his new girlfriend Bianca, Evan’s accused her estranged husband of hiding a three-year-long affair and claimed that she had actually been friends with Bianca, the new girlfriend.
Evan’s wrote: “So it turns out that my husband, after two years of telling me I’m a bad person and I’m not exciting… and he just wants to be on set abroad, has been in a relationship for THREE years behind all our backs. Good luck, Bianca.”
A Friend of Gruffudd Accuses Evans of Being “Abusive To Gruffudd and of Lying To the Public
A friend of Gruffudd’s, wardrobe assistant Amy Douglas, defended him on Twitter following Evan’s accusations, stating that the Fantastic Four actor didn’t have a three-year-long affair at all. Douglas wrote, “[Bianca was] an extra and didn’t have contact with him in season two, I know because I was there as crew. Season three yes, but they only started talking towards the end.”
Douglas continued: “I am also her friend and I KNOW they didn’t, as I said they didn’t even speak to each other until the end of season three. Don’t buy into the lies you are being fed.” The crew member then went on to accuse Evans of being the abusive one. writing, “I saw what Alice was doing to Ioan in the last week of filming, threatening a divorce if he didn’t go home. I saw how upset he was on set,” and “I saw how upset he was on the phone being abused by her.”
Evans Claims That Gruffudd Hates “Fatties” and Told Her That He Would Leave Her If She Gained Weight
Before October was over, Evans told the public that Gruffudd claimed he would leave her for being fat. She wrote, “Some words of caution for new side chick and marriage wrecker @BiancaWarren… don’t gain an ounce of weight.” She followed it up with “@IoanGruffudd likes his women anorexic skinny. Time to dig out the thighmaster and cigarettes.”
In reply to a supportive tweet from another Twitter user, Evans wrote, “Someone mentioned online that Ioan liked slim girls and I agreed. He had, after all, told me several times over the years that he couldn’t abide fatties and that he would leave if I gained weight. I guess he was true to his word this time!”
Evans Goes on a Foul-Mouth Rant Calling Wallace a “B****” and Claims That Gruffudd Used To Body Shame Her
In the beginning of November, Evans took to Instagram to address Gruffudd and Wallace personally, and she didn’t hold back. She wrote: “Hey Bianca Mae Wallace, stealer of my husband, ruiner of the life I’d worked so hard to achieve and also [the] person who makes my kid cry – a person I will never forget ever.” She went on the call Wallace “a total b**** who manifested a father” and who was “completely devoid of human empathy.”
Evans uploaded a selfie, suggesting in the caption that Gruffudd had previously shamed her for her age and looks: “Good luck, Ioan. And oh, let’s see what this pic brings out. I was tempted to put a picture of Bianca next to one of mine (after all the ‘you’re 50! Give up! You’re so fat!’). But I didn’t. Because that’s not my way. How do you like THIS one, BB?”
Evans Gives an Emotional TV Interview Where She Claims She Is Living “Every Woman’s Nightmare”
In November 2021, Evans gave her first TV interview since her separation on the chat show Lorraine. Tearfully, she claimed that she was living “what is every woman’s nightmare” before explaining the moment she knew that Gruffudd’s feelings had changed. “He came in and hugged the kids, then dryly gave me a kiss on the cheek and that was how I knew something was wrong.” Before that point, she claimed that she had been “one of those smug married couples.” Evans revealed that Gruffudd had told her “Oh I don’t love you anymore” and “Sorry, I don’t feel the same for you, I might leave.”
When Gruffudd had started sleeping in their guest bedroom, Evans felt as though “I was losing my mind.” Gruffudd moved out of the family home, but there was a brief moment where Evans felt hopeful about a reconciliation: “My phone pinged and it said, ‘Ioan Gruffudd has unblocked you on Instagram.’ I thought, ‘Oh! Maybe there’s a chance he wants to talk.’ And then it was announced by him and his mistress that they were a couple on Instagram… I just looked at the picture and it said something like, ‘Finally somebody who can make me happy.’ “
Evans Claims That Gruffudd Had Locked Her Out of Her Twitter Account
A couple of months after her revealing TV interview, Evans claimed that she had been locked out of her Twitter account by her Gruffudd. She stated, “When my ex-husband Ioan Gruffudd finally tells me what he changed my Twitter password to” before adding, “I can’t do Instagram ITS BEYOND.”
She continued: “Will invite anybody who wants to come in to talk about this subject. Don’t ever think you’re alone. Don’t ever think your subject is to silly. wedeserveavoice !!!! Oh god, now I have worry about the morning!!” She concluded by writing, “Love all round, not hate. Alice Evans. Xxxxx.”
Gruffudd Asks To Be Granted a Restraining Order Against His Estranged Wife
In February 2022, Gruffud filed for a restraining order against Evans. He asked the court that he be granted the restraining order, which would prevent Evans from contacting him or his girlfriend, Bianca Wallace. The documents also asked that Evans keep her distance from the couple.
Gruffudd’s restraining order request asked that Evans wouldn’t be allowed to come within 100 yards from either himself or his girlfriend. It wasn’t clear what event made him choose to seek out a restraining order, but in response, Evans claimed that Gruffudd was attempting “a ploy to gain some sort of advantage” for their upcoming divorce.
Evans Claims That Gruffudd Had Stopped Paying for Their Daughters’ Education and Claims That She Can’t Afford Basic Essentials
In June 2022, Evans told her followers that she had no money left for basic essentials. “You see – I have no money. I gave up my career because I wanted the love of my life to have an amazing career and that leave[s] him being away most of the time,” Evans explained. She claimed that Gruffudd had stopped paying the tuition fees for his daughters’ schools.
Evan uploaded a screenshot of a conversation between one of their daughters and Gruffudd, where she asks him to sign paperwork so she can stay at her school. Evans wrote, “He is spending money that should have gone to the girls’ education, sports, college, on using a lawyer to gag me.” According to Evans, she was airing their laundry in public because she couldn’t afford a lawyer to fight for her case: “All I have is social media because I can’t afford a lawyer.”
Evans Asks the Public for Donations To Support Her Ongoing Divorce Battle
Things apparently got dire in June 2022, as Evans set up a GoFundMe page attempting to raise $25,000 in donations from the public. She claimed that she had to dismiss her lawyer as she couldn’t afford the fees anymore, now that they were in their 15th month of divorce proceedings. On the GoFundMe page, she wrote: “Until recently everything appeared to be going well in my life. I had a wonderful husband and two brilliant kids who had cost us the earth in IVF but were so worth it!”
She went on to explain how her legal fees “have finally drained everything – savings, accounts, pension, the lot.” Evan continued: “Yesterday all my accounts ran out and I couldn’t buy anything. I’m asking for help – something I’ve never done… and never expected to do. I have no parents or extended family to borrow from.” She added, “Yes, it’s embarrassing. Anything you can spare will help.”
Evans Claims That Former Friend and Current Girlfriend of Gruffudd Was Mocking Her in Selfie
When Gruffudd’s girlfriend Wallace posted a funny selfie of her wearing exaggeratedly smudged lipstick, Evans took it personally. She wrote on Instagram, “This is my husband’s girlfriend trying to take the p*** out of me when I had been hit by a rock so large I never thought I’d come through. And because I can’t see, I sometimes don’t get my make-up right.”
Evan’s continued: “I know this happens. I didn’t feel you noticed. But now I know so maybe I’m too old to be posting pics like that, eh. Thanks for the warning. I hope you have a great life laughing at people you think are not as cool as you and don’t worry – I am giving up my entire career to make sure our kids grow up balanced, thoughtful, creative, and courageous.”
Gruffudd Files for Joint Custody Amid Claims That Evans Mocked His “Saggy Eyes” and Balding
In July 2022, Gruffudd filed for joint custody of their two daughters. In the application, Gruffudd claimed that he had been verbally abusive to him regarding his looks, writing that “Alice made fun of my appearance often, making hair-loss comments and telling me I had ‘saggy-vagina eyes.’ “
It didn’t stop there. Gruffudd claimed that Evans had been trying to cut contact between the father and his daughters, writing that Evans “has inflicted serious emotional harm on Ella and Elsie by her statements and by interfering in my relationship with them.”
Gruffudd Includes 113 Pages Worth of Alleged Abusive Messages From Evans
Evans had previously filed for sole custody of their two daughters, Ella and Elsie, in the wake of the divorce. But Gruffudd was putting up a fight, including in the joint custody request 113 pages of text messages between the estranged husband and wife, as well as social media posts and emails detailing Evan’s abuse.
According to Metro, Gruffud was also seeking “face-to-face counseling and ‘reunification’ therapy via Zoom with him ahead of court-ordered mediation about custody.” In response, Evan was claiming she wouldn’t be able to “feed or clothe” their young daughters because of her accumulating legal fees. She wrote that she was “completely out of money for food and bills.”
Evans Hits Back at Gruffudd’s Claims, Telling Her Followers That He Has Refused To See His Daughters for a Year
As soon as Gruffudd’s verbal abuse came out, Evans claimed that Gruffudd was attempting a smear campaign against her. She said: “Witch-hunt. He has refused to see them [their daughters] for over a year. I am sickened to the point of breaking down.”
Evans asked her followers, “Do you guys want to see some of the horrible messages he has sent my beautiful Ella over the past year?” She continued: “This is sick. It’s totally untrue. Shame on Ioan’s legal and PR team for setting this up. You are disgusting.”
Gruffudd Claims That Evans Scared Their Daughter With Serious and Dangerous Lies
The custody battle was getting uglier and uglier. On top of Gruffudd’s accusations that Evans “belittled and berated” throughout their marriage, he claimed that his estranged wife had called him “stupid and a failure,” and once threatened to call the police on him if he didn’t “do what she demanded.” Gruffudd also stated that Evans had been “undermining him in front of the girls throughout their lives.”
In the document given to the Los Angeles Superior Court, Gruffudd wrote: “In a FaceTime I had with the girls on March 3, Ella said Alice falsely told her that I wanted Alice to commit suicide, and that Ella probably would not have a mummy anymore.” He continued: “Ella told me, ‘Daddy this is making me very sad’ and ‘if I don’t agree with her, apparently I’m a bad daughter.’ “
Gruffard Claims That the “Final Straw” Was Seeing a Drunk Evans Sleep on the Kitchen Floor
In Gruffudd’s court petition, he details how he knew that his marriage was over when he found a drunk Evans sleeping on the kitchen floor. He wrote, “In mid-July 2020, I had to return to Australia to finish a television series I was working on. The day before I left, Alice started drinking alcohol around 11 a.m.”
Gruffudd continued: “She yelled at me consistently throughout the day that I was a ‘p****,’ and that everyone in the industry hated me. He also claimed that Evans had been physically abusive, writing “Alice also struck me on the head and neck. Later that night, I found Alice asleep on the kitchen floor.” Finally, he stated, “That incident was the final straw that made me realize our marriage was not salvageable.”
Gruffudd Is Granted a Three-Year Restraining Order Against Evans Which Prohibits Her From Talking About Him or His Girlfriend
At the beginning of August 2022, Gruffudd was granted a three-year restraining order against Evans. He had previously been granted a temporary restraining order, but this one was longer lasting and much more restrictive than the one that came before.
The ruling would prevent Evans from leaking text messages between Gruffudd and his kids, like what had previously occurred. The restraining order also prohibited Evans from talking about him or his girlfriend on social media, “including but not limited to Instagram and Twitter accounts, disparaging or harassing [Ioan] or the other protected person.”
Wallace Appears To Reference Alice Evans Drama On Her 30th Birthday
Wallace turned 30 years old in August following news that Gruffudd’s restraining order had been successfully passed. Two decades younger than her famous boyfriend, she took to social media to share how happy she is with life at the moment, writing “The curious part of me wonders what my life has in stall… But the gal who has learned that thing or two (or 147) understands that it’s not worth wondering!”
Wallace appeared to be addressing Gruffudd’s custody battle by stating, “Life is all about acceptance and taking each day, situation, event, drama as it comes. We can’t let our past and future steal our present”. She concluded, “It may not be easy, it might get bumpy a hundred times over, but that’s ok… I couldn’t be more prepared for it if I tried!”
Gruffudd and Wallace Are All Smiles On His Birthday Following His Restraining Order Win
On October 6th, Gruffudd and Wallace stepped out to celebrate the actor’s 49th birthday. The pair were smiling from ear to ear, presumably still beaming from Ioan being granted a three-year restraining order against Evans. It was clearly important to the actor, who turned up in person to court to receive the judge’s verdict, which Evans did not.
The court showed that Gruffud had stated Evans had “repeatedly told me between August 2020 and our separation on January 1, 2021, that if I left her, she would make false public accusations about me, sell false stories about me to the press and destroy me and my career.” Evans denied these claims.
Wallace States That She and Boyfriend Gruffudd Have Experienced “More Than Most”
For Gruffudd’s birthday, Wallace chose to share a heartfelt message on social media, showering the actor with love and praise. She addressed Gruffudd as “the most precious man on the planet… on my new favourite date”, before adding, “Happy birthday to you, my love”.
Wallace continued, “The world is, and always will be, a much better place because of you and your kind, gentle heart”. She added that she and Gruffudd had already experienced a lot together as a couple, writing, “We have been through more than most in such a short time together, but I wouldn’t change anything because of what it created for us.”
Evans Shares a Video Clip of Gruffudd Gushing About His “Amazing” Wife Months Before He Filed For Divorce
On the 19th of October, Evans shared an interview clip that showed Gruffudd gushing about his then-wife on a radio show. The actor is seen saying, “She is amazing, you’re not the first person in Australia to say this. I’ve met about 10 people here the first thing they’ve said is, ‘I’m in love with your wife’ – she’s amazing. She’s a very strong funny woman. She’s brilliant. she’s the true star of our relationship.”
Alice guessed that the interview had taken place “Sometime between April – July 2020”, and her followers mirrored her confused feelings. One Twitter user commented, “Totally weird considering the complete 180 he pulls on you later on. I don’t mean to sound flippant or disrespectful. So weird”, to which Evans replied, “You’re not. I’m astonished”.
Things Are Getting More Serious Between Wallace and Gruffudd As She Takes Him To Australia To Meet Her Family
This started to get real serious between Gruffud and Wallace in October 2022. Wallace took the Fantastic Four actor to Australia to meet her entire family and a few close friends, and she shared the joyous occasion with her followers on social media. Wallace is pictured on the far right.
Wallace shared several photos and videos on Instagram of her and Gruffudd looking happy and loved up, giving fans a much-wanted update as to how the new couple are doing. She wrote, “It was a goodbye, hello and goodbye again… Or as my Mum says, it’s never goodbye, just “cheerio”.
Wallace Tells Instagram That She Has Had Botox To Help With Her Droopy Eye
On October 31st, Wallace took to her Instagram to reveal her own “droopy eye” as a result of her multiple sclerosis diagnosis that she had received three years prior. She posted the photo below along with the caption: “I came out of remission at the end of September after two entire months of total remission. So incredibly amazing”.
Wallace explained that she has been experiencing a whole host of issues, including “My left pectoral/boob, the left side of my face and my in the heel of my left foot. Spasming, nerve pain, numbness across the side and top of my boob and face, and some really unusual sensations.” She revealed that she has since received botox to “help lift up my left eye and right cheek droop”.
