Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans’ marriage began to fall apart in January 2021 when Gruffudd filed for divorce shortly after Evans claimed on social media that he was walking out on her and their two daughters. The situation escalated in October 2021 when Evans accused Gruffudd of cheating on her for three years with a much younger woman. Gruffudd responded by filing for a restraining order against Evans, citing harassment and abusive behavior. In February 2022, he submitted evidence of hundreds of unhinged messages and emails from Evans.
As their bitter divorce proceedings continued into June 2022, Evans begged fans for money to pay for a divorce lawyer, claiming to be completely out of money for food and bills. Gruffudd then requested joint custody of their daughters, alleging that Evans had been attempting to cut off communication between himself and the children. Over the next several months, Evans and Gruffudd failed to reach a custody agreement, leading to a stalled child custody battle. In August 2022, Gruffudd successfully obtained a three-year restraining order against Evans.
In September 2022, the child custody battle between Gruffudd and Evans hit a wall, with no agreement reached despite mediation. In November 2022, Evans was reported to police over claims of child abuse and drug use, which she denied. In February 2023, Evans faced charges for violating a restraining order, but these charges were subsequently dropped in March 2023. The ongoing legal battles led Evans and her children to move out of their family home in May 2023 due to financial difficulties.
In May 2023, Ella, the daughter of Evans and Gruffudd, applied for a restraining order against her father and his girlfriend, alleging abuse and threatening behavior. Gruffudd retaliated with claims that Evans had abused him, broken the restraining order, and interfered with the girls’ therapy sessions. Their divorce was finalized in July 2023, but the custody battle continued, with Gruffudd accusing Evans of being a child abuser and Evans asserting that Gruffudd had not seen or called the children in months. In August 2023, a Los Angeles judge banned the press from a custody hearing involving the warring former couple.
