Alice Evans and Ioan Gruffudd's divorce has become one of the messiest and most confrontational celebrity break-ups in years. For more than a decade, Fantastic Four star Ioan and The Vampire Diaries actress Alice had quietly held the status of one of show business's most content couples.
Having met on the set of 102 Dalmatians more than twenty years ago, the co-stars got married and had two children together. However, in 2021 their love story ended in shocking circumstances and things have only gone downhill since. And now, after receiving a restraining order request from his eldest daughter, Ioan has made serious allegations of child abuse against his former partner.
How did Alice Evans and Ioan Gruffudd meet?
While they may be on incredibly hostile terms now, this wasn't always the case. Alice Evans and Ioan Gruffudd met on the set of 102 Dalmatians more than 20 years ago, where they played onscreen love interests Chloe and Kevin. They then fell in love in real life and got married seven years later in 2007.
When was Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans wedding?
The couple got engaged on New Year's Day in 2006 and their wedding took place on 14 September 2007 in Mexico. The celebration was attended by close friends and family, but the newlyweds also did a magazine cover shoot on the day to share their favourite moments with fans.
Alice wore a white strapless gown and Ioan wore a black suit as the pair said their vows on the beach surrounded by red roses. They quickly became one of Hollywood's favourite couples.
Prior to their separation, Alice would often share family photos and throwback photos of her ex-husband on Instagram with doting captions. Sharing one photo of Ioan in a sailor's hat from a family holiday, she wrote: 'He can rock anything, this chap. Wait, did I say anything? Yeah. Maybe not QUITE anything...' With one fan commenting, 'this photo reminds me a bit of Titanic', a film Ioan starred in in 1997.
How many children do Alice Evans and Ioan Gruffudd have?
Alice and Ioan have two daughters – Ella, 13 and Elsie, nine – together. The main sticking point of their separation is the ongoing custody battle over the two girls. They both currently live in LA with Alice.
Why did Alice Evans and Ioan Gruffudd split up?
In January 2021, news of Alice Evans and Ioan Gruffudd's split broke. Announcing their separation in now-deleted tweets, Alice wrote: 'Sad news. My beloved husband/ soulmate of 20 years, Ioan Gruffudd, has announced he is to leave his family, starting next week. Me and our young daughters girls are very confused and sad. We haven’t been given a reason except that he "no longer loves me." I’m so sorry.' She also wrote that she was being 'gaslit and mentally tortured'.
A day later, they released a joint statement saying: '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.'
In October 2021, Ioan announced his new relationship with Bianca Wallace, 31. However, in the years since, several details about Alice and Ioan's divorce and the unravelling of their relationship have been brought into the public domain. Alice has accused Ioan of adultery and Ioan has accused Alice in court papers of verbal abuse.
Who is Bianca Wallace?
Bianca Wallace is an actor and producer, known for Expired (2022), Nana's Footsteps and Elvis (2022) – she is also a former friend of Alice Evans's. She frequently shares photos of her and Ioan on her Instagram page at @biancawallace.
She suffers from Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which is a lifelong condition that affects the brain and nerves. Bianca uses her social media platform to raise awareness about her condition and Ioan has publicly supported her in doing so.
While Ioan and Bianca live together, they currently have a very strained relationship with Ioan's two children. His eldest daughter Ella has pressed charges against the couple, which are primarily aimed at Bianca, and has accused her father's new partner of slamming a door in her face. In May, Ella filed a restraining order against her father and his new girlfriend.
How did Ioan Gruffudd meet Bianca Wallace?
Exactly how and when Ioan and Bianca met is not known. But the pair supposedly met in Australia, where Ioan had been filming the ABC series Harrow. Bianca was allegedly working as an extra on the third series of the programme when she met the actor.
However, in a series of derogatory remarks made via her social media page, Alice claims Bianca had been liking the couple's family photos on Instagram months before their separation and said it was 'creepy'.
Are Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans legally divorced?
Yes, for a while Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans were legally separated but their divorce had not been finalised. The pair were granted a 'dissolution of marriage' in 'status only' in July 2023, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly.
However, two years after they first filed, in July 2023 their divorce was legally finalised. But custody negotiations over their two daughters continue.
What has Alice Evans said recently about her split from Ioan Gruffudd
Two years after their split was first announced, the former couple are still in the midst of a hostile and public custody battle.
And most recently, Ioan has accused his ex-wife of child abuse. In court documents filed in LA Ioan said, 'Alice has continued to inflict serious emotional harm on Ella and Elsie by her statements and by interfering in my relationship with them. Alice has verbally abused and undermined me in front of the girls throughout their lives.
'Since January 2021, Alice has also encouraged and instructed them not to see me or communicate with me. She has made thousands of threatening and abusive communications to me and about me.’
Ioan now claims Alice has ‘violated the restraining order repeatedly and continues to do so to this day’.
The latest allegations appear to be in response to his daughter Ella's request for a restraining order, which she filed for in July. This is something Ioan now blames on Alice, and he has accused her of stopping their daughters from attending counselling.
He added in the new court filing: ‘Although there is an order for the girls to attend therapy, Alice has repeatedly either refused to bring the girls or interfered with my bringing the girls to therapy. I believe Alice’s actions are child abuse and I am gravely concerned for our children.’
However, Alice herself has said: 'I do not agree to have the children and ourselves be subjected to a prolonged and expensive child custody evaluation if it’s based on the speculation and conjecture of the petitioner’s suspicions.
‘Petitioner says he believes the kids are suffering serious emotional harm but show no proof of any symptoms experienced by our girls to support those accusations.
‘Petitioner has his visitation schedule and has the ability to freely call the kids but has for whatever reason not done so. Given his silence and lack of effort to have a relationship with the children, I do not believe petitioner has shown a need or urgency for appointment of a child custody evaluator.’