Alice Evans wept in court Thursday as she recounted learning from a lawyer that her husband, Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd, was divorcing her, saying the emotional turmoil drove her to send harassing messages to him and his now-wife online
 
Gruffudd and Evans split in early 2021, finalizing a messy divorce in 2023. Since then, they’ve been embroiled in a bitter feud over money and custody of their daughters

Tears filled the courtroom on Thursday as actress Alice Evans gave emotional testimony about the moment her marriage to Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd truly collapsed — not through a conversation with her husband, but via a phone call from a lawyer.

Evans had hoped to reconcile with her estranged husband, until her hopes were dashed when Gruffudd let her follow him on Instagram, and she saw that he had begun a relationship with young Australian actress Bianca Wallace

Sobbing as she addressed the Los Angeles Superior Court, the 57-year-old actress said she was left “terrified, shocked and devastated” after discovering that Gruffudd had filed for divorce without ever telling her directly.

“I was alone in Los Angeles. I was utterly shocked,” Evans told the court, using tissues to wipe away tears. “He never told me himself.”

‘The Biggest Shock of My Life’

Evans told the court she had clung to hopes of reconciliation, not wanting her daughters, Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12, to grow up in a broken family

Evans said the revelation marked the beginning of an emotional spiral that later drove her to send what she admitted were excessive and inappropriate online messages to Gruffudd — and eventually to his new partner.

Hurt by news of Gruffudd’s new relationship, Evans began posting derogatory messages about him and Wallace on social media – posts she now says she ‘very much regrets’

Several months after learning of the divorce, Evans said she suffered a second crushing blow when she discovered, via Instagram, that the man she had spent more than 20 years of her life with had moved on romantically with a much younger woman — Australian actress Bianca Wallace.

Responding to Wallace’s accusation that a November 2021 post ‘outed’ Bianca’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, Evans told the court that she thought it was public knowledge but that she was now ‘deeply apologetic’

“It was the biggest shock I have ever had in my life,” Evans told the court, her voice breaking, as she testified on the fourth day of a trial in which Gruffudd, 52, is seeking to renew a domestic violence restraining order against her.

A Marriage Ends — And a Bitter Legal Battle Begins

Gruffudd and Evans split in early 2021 after more than two decades together. Their divorce was finalised in 2023, but the legal war between them has continued — centred on money, custody, and allegations of harassment.

The former couple share two daughters, Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12, and have since been locked in a bitter dispute over financial support and parental access.

Gruffudd accuses Evans of waging a “relentless five-year campaign of harassment and abuse” against both him and Wallace, whom he married in April last year. The couple welcomed a daughter, Mila, in November.

Restraining Orders and Serious Accusations

Gruffudd claims Evans violated the terms of a three-year restraining order, originally imposed in August 2022, by allegedly following him to a parent-teacher meeting at one of their daughters’ school.

Evans denies the accusation, insisting she did not know Gruffudd would be present at the school that day, and is asking Judge Michael Convey to dismiss Gruffudd’s request for a new restraining order.

She also firmly denied claims made by Gruffudd that, in July 2020 — six months before their separation — she attempted to give their daughters cocaine, physically assaulted him, or passed out drunk on the floor.

‘My Daughters Were Terrified I’d End Up in Jail’

Evans told the court that the original restraining order had a devastating emotional impact on her children.

“My daughters were terrified that I was going to end up in jail,” she said, recalling a phone conversation one of the girls allegedly had with their father.

“He said, ‘Your mother is going to be in jail,’” Evans claimed, adding through tears: “I’m the only person they’ve got. They don’t have any other family. I’m all they have.”

Hope, Instagram — And Heartbreak

Evans said that for months she clung to the hope that she and Gruffudd might reconcile, desperate to keep her family together.

“When he left our home in January 2021, I thought he just needed space,” she said. “I thought we were taking a break.”

But that hope was shattered a month later when a lawyer called to inform her that Gruffudd had formally filed for divorce.

“I didn’t want a divorce,” Evans told the court. She said repeated attempts to contact Gruffudd by phone and email were ignored.

It was then, she admitted, that she began sending angry emails and posting online messages.

“Too often,” she replied tearfully when asked how frequently she contacted him.

Her final hopes of reconciliation, she said, were destroyed in October 2021, when Gruffudd — then filming in the south of France — allowed her to follow him on Instagram.

“The first thing I saw was an announcement that Ioan and Bianca were in a relationship,” Evans said quietly.

Regret, Shame — And Apologies

Hurt and emotionally overwhelmed, Evans admitted she posted derogatory comments about Gruffudd and Wallace online — behaviour she now says she “very much regrets.”

“My world was being overturned,” she told the court. “I felt in limbo. In 20 years together, we spoke every single day.”

Looking directly at Gruffudd in court — seated less than 20 feet away — Evans said:
“I can now say I’m sorry. I was posting way too much. I feel ashamed and humiliated.”

She added:
“I’m mortified and hugely regretful — and apologetic to Bianca too.”

Responding to Wallace’s claim that Evans “outed” her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in a November 2021 post, Evans said she believed the information was public at the time and is now “deeply apologetic.”

‘I Lost My Mind’

Evans also addressed accusations that she sent disturbing emails to Gruffudd’s mother, telling the court she acted out of desperation.

“I was just a desperate person because my family was falling apart,” she said. “I thought she could help keep us together. It was terribly stupid.”

“I don’t recognise that person,” Evans concluded quietly. “She lost her mind.”

Gruffudd is seeking to end spousal support entirely, claiming Evans has already been overpaid by more than $300,000 and citing what he alleges is her pattern of abusive behaviour. Evans, who says she is broke, is asking the court to increase spousal and child support payments.

The case continues.

Source: 
 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/