Ioan Gruffudd and his estranged wife Alice Evans: A timeline of their relationship and divorce
Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd and his estranged wife and Vampire Diaries star Alice Evans came to an agreement on their divorce and custody arrangements after a fierce battle that is considered one of the most bitter splits in Hollywood history. However, legal disputes between them have continued.
Last August, the Titanic star obtained a three-year restraining order against his estranged wife Alice Evans, which also bans her from mentioning him and Wallace on social media, after he claimed his wife had used social media accounts to “to harass, threaten, and disturb the peace of both me and my girlfriend” – fellow actor Bianca Wallace.
Gruffudd is known for his early roles in James Cameron’s Titanic and as the lead in Hornblower. He later rose to wider fame opposite Clive Owen and Keira Knightly in the 2004 historical adventure film Lancelot, as Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic in the 2005 superhero movie Fantastic Four, and in ITV’s critically acclaimed series Liar.
Evans has appeared in films including the British sports-comedy Blackball, and in episodes of the hit supernatural teen drama series, The Vampire Diaries.
But when did the now estranged couple get together? Here is a timeline of their relationship:
2000: Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans meet on film set
Gruffudd met Evans while filming Disney’s live-action 101 Dalmations sequel, 102 Dalmations, which was released in 2000. Little is known about the early stages of their relationship, but Gruffudd eventually proposed after they had been together for five years.
September 2007: Couple get married resort in Los Cabos Mexico
"It was an intimate gathering," a source told People at the time. "Friends and family travelled all over the world for it."
Gruffudd told the publication that he was present in every aspect of the planning process ahead of the ceremony.
“I am heavily involved. Both Alice and I are doing it ourselves,” he said. "We did the invitations, which was enough of a burden, and now of course everybody’s saying they want to come — so we’re over by about 20 people, but we’ll work it out.”
September 2009: first daughter Ella Betsi Evans is born
“Ella is very small and unbelievably beautiful,” Evans told Hello magazine at the time.
October 2013: Second daughter Elsie Marigold Evans arrives
“We are beyond thrilled to announce the arrival of our daughter, Elsie Marigold, on Sept. 13th,” the couple told People in a statement.
“A little sister for Ella Betsi. We both feel very grateful and very blessed.”
January 2021: The pair announce separation
The couple announced that they would be separating in January 2021.
Evans wrote a blunt statement on Twitter: “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 are very confused and sad. We haven’t been given a reason except that he ‘no longer loves me’. I’m so sorry.”
Following the news, Gruffudd and Evans issued the following statement to ET Canada: “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.”
October 2021: Gruffudd goes Instagram official with new girlfriend Bianca Wallace
Gruffudd made his new relationship with actor Bianca Wallace official on Instagram by sharing a photograph of them together on set of A Ray of Sunshine, a film about multiple sclerosis that they both star in.
Gruffudd captioned the post: “Thank you for making me smile again.”
February 2022: Gruffudd files for a restraining order against Evans
According to multiple US media reports, Gruffudd alleged that Evans repeatedly told him between August 2020 and 1 January 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”.
Gruffudd also claimed that Evans had made “many false and harassing” posts on social media targeting Gruffudd, along with “hundreds of harassing, abusive and threatening communications by text, voice message [and] video message”.
“Alice threatened to tell people I had abused her and our daughters,” the filing read, “threatened to call the police on me if I did not comply with her demands … threatened to tell people I am a drug addict and put me in prison … threatened to write a fake diary that reflected an abused victim, and to have the diary published; and … threatened to destroy my mother.”
He alleged in the filing that Evans had sent his mother, Margaret Griffiths, “threatening emails”.
In a response to the petition, Evans claimed that she had “no idea what [Gruffudd] is going to accuse me of”.
“I have not hit, struck, attacked, threatened, assaulted, harassed, followed, stalked, molested, destroyed the personal property of, kept under surveillance, impersonated, blocked the movement of, annoyed by phone or electronic means by repeated contact, or disturbed the peace [of Gruffudd or Wallace]”, she said.
June 2022: Evans launches GoFundMe as she claims she’s out of money
Evans said she was “out of money for food and bills” in an Instagram post that shared an image of her with youngest daughter Elsie.
“Trying to hold it all together whilst being threatened, completely out of money for food and bills and just found out somebody tried to break down our outside door last night!” she wrote.
She added: “But it’s all worth it for this [her daughter]! ( And the one who currently doesn’t want to be photographed. )
“Whatevs. Most of all, I will be the best mother I can possibly be. Forever. They will never lose me. Thank you everybody for so much love and support! Having a bit of a rough moment!”
Evans shared the post on the the same day she launched a GoFundMe campaign asking for $25,000 (£20,000) to help pay for a divorce lawyer.
In the page’s description, she wrote: “I never in a million years thought I would be doing this.
“... However in August 2020, just as the pandemic was really kicking in, my entire world fell apart. Since that date I have been not only struggling as a single mother to my babies, but also trying to cover bills and food and legal fees (ha! don’t even talk to me about legal fees) which dwarf any other expense in my life and have finally drained everything - savings, acccounts, pension, the lot.
“Yesterday all my accounts ran out and I couldn’t buy anything. On the same day, my husband’s laywer sent me a letter telling me I was due in court on 2 August to argue ‘my case’ in the divorce. I currently have no lawyer and no funds to pay one. If I don’t turn up at court I will be in contempt, and I have no idea what will happen to me or my kids at that point.”
August 2022: Gruffudd granted restraining order against Evans
The restraining order banned Evans from mentioning Gruffudd on social media.
June 2023: Gruffudd’s 13-year-old daughter ‘files restraining order against him’
According to documents seen by the Daily Mail, the teenager applied for a temporary restraining order on 31 May, with a hearing date of 23 June.
She reportedly submitted the application after an incident at Gruffudd’s home in Los Angeles earlier this month, which allegedly occurred while Ella and her younger sister Elvie, nine, were visiting.
It is not known what the incident involved or what led to Ella’s decision. The Independent contacted a representative for Gruffudd for comment.
August 2023: Gruffudd accuses Evans of keeping their children from him
In court documents, Evans claimed he had not seen his daughters for three months and alleged: “Since January 2021, Alice has also encouraged and instructed them not to see me or communicate with me and she has made thousands of threatening and abusive communications to me and about me.”
Evans denied the claims she was “inflicting or causing our children ‘serious emotional harm’” and claimed Evans had not made contact with his children for 11 weeks.
June 2024: Gruffudd and Evans sign stipulation agreement three years after their split
More than three years after filing for divorce, the actors signed a divorce agreement stating Gruffudd would pay $3,000 a month temporary child support and $1,500 a month temporary spousal support until a February hearing where a more permanent support arrangement would be made.
A financial trial had been scheduled for April but was then deferred to August.
July 2024: Evans claims she is ‘applying for food stamps’ amid financial struggle
Weeks after the couple appeared to have settled their divorce dispute, Evans claimed she had been left destitute and applying for food stamps, while Gruffudd is living a “lavish lifestyle” buying Rolex watches for his fiancée.
“I have drained all of my personal savings paying my prior attorneys in this case,” she said, reporting that she has incurred legal fees of $112,000 (£88,300), leaving her in a “dire” financial position.
Her court filing read: “Ioan has the ability to pay spousal support based upon his greater ability to earn income and his ongoing lavish lifestyle. For these reasons, Alice requests guideline child and spousal support.”
The Independent contacted representatives for both Evans and Gruffudd for comment.
