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Alice Evans Sobs in Court, Says She Found Out About Ioan Gruffudd’s Divorce Through a Lawyer
Alice Evans was visibly overwhelmed with tears in court on Thursday as she gave her testimony about the demise of her marriage to Fantastic Four actor Ioan Gruffudd.
The 57-year-old actress insisted that she was informed about her husband’s intention to divorce her only when a lawyer got in touch with her. “I was scared to death… I was by myself in Los Angeles. I was totally shocked… heartbroken,” Evans cried, accusing Gruffudd of “never” telling her personally that he wanted to separate.
Evans went on to recount a second “crushing blow” that occurred a few months later when she found out via Instagram that Gruffudd was dating Australian actress Bianca Wallace. “It was the most unexpected thing that I have ever experienced,” she told through tears during the fourth day of a trial where Gruffudd, 52, is applying for a domestic violence restraining order against her to be renewed.
The couple parted ways in early 2021 and finished their bitter divorce in 2023. Since then, they have been involved in a nasty dispute over money and the custody of their two daughters, Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12.
Ioan Gruffudd Claims Alice Evans Has Harassed Him While She Refutes the Allegations
Ioan Gruffudd, a Welsh actor, has accused his former spouse of orchestrating, over the past five years, a “campaign of harassment and abuse” not only against him but also his wife Bianca Wallace, 33. Last April, Gruffudd tied the knot with Wallace, and the couple had their baby girl Mila in November.
The actor is saying Evans ignored the “stay away” section of the 3-year restraining order—which had been signed in August 2022—by unexpectedly showing up at a parent-teacher meeting at the school where their daughter attends.
Evans has refuted the allegations of harassment and is seeking Judge Michael Convey’s permission to throw out Gruffudd’s motion for the restraining order.
In her statement, she revealed that the girls were so scared of the mother that she would be locked up over the alleged violations that they were almost in tears.
“I’m the only person they have around — there is no other family. They only have me,” she said in court. Besides this, Evans accused that on a phone call to one of their daughters, Gruffudd threatened, “Your mother will be behind bars.”
Alice Evans Refutes Ioan Gruffudd’s Accusations Amid Bitter Feud
Alice Evans has refuted a number of serious allegations her ex-husband, Ioan Gruffudd, levelled at her, including that he saw her trying to give their daughters cocaine, that she physically assaulted him, and that she was so drunk she passed out on the floor in July 2020.
Evans also mentioned that she didn’t expect Gruffudd to be at their daughter’s school when she went for the parent-teacher meeting, which he claims was a breach of a previous restraining order.
The actress, who says she is without any money, is appealing the court to raise the $1,500 a month she gets as a spousal support and the $3,000 a month child support for their two daughters. However, Gruffudd is trying to stop spousal support payments totally, arguing that Evans has “persistently” abused him domestically and that she has violated the restraining order. Besides, he says that he has “overpaid” her by more than $300,000.
Moreover, Gruffudd has charged Evans with “poisoning and alienating” their daughters against him.
Evans, wearing a plaid jacket and a long orange skirt for her testimony, said that the day when Gruffudd left their house in Los Angeles in January 2021, she thought he just wanted to leave for a short time. “I thought he just needed some space…to get his head straight,” she explained.
Alice Evans Says She “Didn’t Want a Divorce” and Was “Panicking”
Alice Evans explained to the court that in her mind, she and Ioan Gruffudd were only “taking a break” when he left their house in Los Angeles in January 2021.
“I thought we were only taking a break. I just wanted to keep the family together for the children’s sakes,” she told.
Nonetheless, roughly a month later, she says a lawyer told her that Gruffudd had already filed for divorce. “I didn’t want a divorce,” Evans said, and she even told the court that she had tried to call him and email him but he didn’t reply.
She continued, “In the aftermath, I admit, I was sending him what I called angry and frustrated posts and emails.” When the court asked her how many times she had reached out to him, she answered through her tears, “Too many times.”
“I think it was just panic. Because I couldn’t talk to him, my world was turning upside down,” she continued to explain in the courtroom. “It felt like being stuck because we had been together for 20 years and had spoken every single day.”
“I was very much trying to work things out through communication and talking, I just wanted to speak to my husband… I foolishly believed we could be together again,” she said.
Alice Evans Says She “Didn’t Want a Divorce” and Acted Out of “Panic”
During the court proceedings, Alice Evans explained that she thought the separation of Ioan Gruffudd from their Los Angeles home in January 2021 was just a pause in their relationship.
“I thought we were only going to take a break. Honestly, all I wanted was to keep the family together for the children,” she said.
Still, she claims that around a month later, a lawyer informed her that Gruffudd had submitted divorce papers. “I really didn’t want a divorce,” Evans stated, further saying that she had attempted to contact him by phone and email, but he did not reply.
She acknowledged that, later on, she started to send what she called angry and frustrated texts and emails aimed at him. Upon being questioned about the frequency of her contacting him, she answered through tears, “Way too often.”
“It was a panic feeling. Everything in my life was changing radically as I was unable to communicate with him,” she said. “I felt like I was in a state of limbo because during the 20 years that we were together, we had never gone a day without speaking.
“I was crying out to us to be able to sort things out by talking. All I wanted was to have a conversation with my husband… Foolishly, I thought we could get back together.”
Alice Evans Expresses “Shame and Embarrassment” Over Her Past
Alice Evans has publicly acknowledged and regretted a number of her past behaviors, including some online posts and emails sent to Ioan Gruffudd’s mother.
Evans conceded that she was not present at the August 2022 court hearing, where the judges issued a three-year restraining order against Gruffudd and Bianca Wallace. “I was so afraid of seeing them together that I couldn’t go. I stayed at home. It was a stupid thing to do,” she said.
Upon hearing Wallace’s allegation that she had “outed” her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in one of her online posts in November 2021, Evans said, “To be honest, I thought it was public knowledge. I was totally mistaken and I am very sorry. I am really, really sorry.”
Evans said she was a “desperate person” when she sent the emails to Gruffudd’s mother, in response to the situation in their family. “My family was breaking down, and I didn’t know what to do. So, I was just desperate. I thought, if only she (Gruffudd’s mother) could help us, somehow, keep our family together. It was very stupid of me,” she recalled.
Looking back, Evans reflected, “I am greatly ashamed of and embarrassed by myself. That person, I don’t even recognize anymore — she went completely crazy.”
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