The Alice Evans and Ioan Gruffudd divorce was finalized in July 2023, but the case has continued in Los Angeles Superior Court through 2026, with a five-year domestic violence restraining order against Evans, an unsettled custody arrangement for the couple’s two daughters, and open disputes over spousal support, child support, and property division.
How the Marriage Ended
Evans, a British-American actress, and Gruffudd, the Welsh actor known for Fantastic Four and Titanic, married in September 2007 and had two daughters, Ella (born September 2009) and Elsie (born October 2013).1The Independent. Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans Divorce Timeline
The marriage ended in January 2021. Evans later testified that she learned it was over through a lawyer rather than from Gruffudd, and that seeing his new relationship on Instagram was “the biggest shock I have ever had in my life.”2Yahoo Entertainment. Alice Evans Sobs in Court Gruffudd filed for divorce in March 2021.3E! Online. What Alice Evans Is Requesting in Divorce From Ioan Gruffudd
Gruffudd confirmed his relationship with South African-born actress Bianca Wallace in October 2021. Wallace has maintained the relationship began after the separation, and Gruffudd has called Evans’s claims of an earlier affair “entirely fabricated.”4The Mirror. Pregnant Bianca Wallace Breaks Silence Evans has alleged the relationship predated the separation by years.5People. Alice Evans Claims Ex Ioan Gruffudd’s New Girlfriend Ruined Her Life Gruffudd and Wallace married in April 2025.6People. Ioan Gruffudd and Wife Bianca Wallace Expecting First Baby Together
The 2022 Restraining Order and Criminal Charges
In February 2022, Gruffudd filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Evans, alleging harassment and threats. He claimed in his filings that Evans had “repeatedly told me between August 2020 and our separation on January 1, 2021” that she would make false public accusations and sell fabricated stories to the press to destroy him.7Page Six. Ioan Gruffudd Claims Ex-Wife Alice Evans Threatened to Amber Heard Him
In August 2022, a Los Angeles court granted a three-year restraining order barring Evans from mentioning Gruffudd and Wallace on social media.1The Independent. Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans Divorce Timeline Evans faced two criminal charges for allegedly violating the order and pleaded not guilty. In March 2023, prosecutors told a hearing at the Los Angeles Airport Courthouse they were “unable to proceed,” and the charges were dropped.8People. Alice Evans Thanks Fans After Charges Are Dropped
The 2026 Trial and Five-Year Renewal
As the three-year order neared expiration, Gruffudd and Wallace sought to renew it. Trial began on February 23, 2026, in Los Angeles Superior Court before Judge Michael Convey.7Page Six. Ioan Gruffudd Claims Ex-Wife Alice Evans Threatened to Amber Heard Him
Gruffudd testified that Evans had threatened to “Amber Heard” him, meaning she would try to destroy his career through false public accusations in the manner of the Amber Heard–Johnny Depp case. He alleged she had berated him in front of their daughters, calling him “a child molester, a pedophile and a drug addict,” and had threatened to “create a false crime” against Wallace to get her deported.7Page Six. Ioan Gruffudd Claims Ex-Wife Alice Evans Threatened to Amber Heard Him
Evans testified in her own defense. She admitted sending angry emails and posts “too often” and said she was “mortified and hugely regretful and apologetic to Bianca.”2Yahoo Entertainment. Alice Evans Sobs in Court She argued the public feud had actually “boosted his career” and testified that she had sacrificed her own acting work to support his, citing a disparity in earning capacity of $105,000 per episode to her $7,000.9AOL. Alice Evans Claims Feud Boosted Gruffudd’s Career
Judge Convey renewed the restraining order for five years, through at least 2031. The order requires Evans to stay at least 100 feet from Gruffudd and Wallace and bars her from mentioning them on social media. The judge described her online conduct as a “concerted, focused, intentional and caustic campaign of denigration” and found that her “threats of force and intimidation” had created fears for the couple’s physical safety. He said she had violated the 2022 order “multiple” times and that her “pattern of abuse” endangered Gruffudd’s relationship with their daughters. While acknowledging her behavior had “abated somewhat” and she had expressed regret, he said he was “not persuaded” that her apology was “true remorse.”10The Independent. Ioan Gruffudd Alice Evans Court Case Verdict
Custody of Ella and Elsie
The couple’s daughters have been at the center of a prolonged custody fight. Evans initially sought sole custody; Gruffudd filed for joint custody and alleged Evans had cut off his contact with the children after the 2021 separation.11The Independent. Ioan Gruffudd Files for Joint Custody As of mid-2024, Evans held 100 percent of the custodial timeshare.12People. Alice Evans Claims She Can’t Financially Support Her Kids In June 2023, the court appointed a minor’s counsel to represent Ella and Elsie.13Yahoo Entertainment. Everything to Know About Ioan Gruffudd’s Family
By 2026, the judge had flagged the existing custody arrangement as “legally inadequate” because Evans had been found to have committed domestic abuse within the past five years, a finding that carries weight under California family law for custody determinations.
Ella’s Restraining Order Filings
In May 2023, then-13-year-old Ella filed for restraining orders against both her father and Wallace. She alleged that during an overnight visit at Gruffudd’s apartment on May 26, 2023, Wallace “slammed a door” on her while she was trying to leave, causing a bruised arm and a bump on her head. Ella acknowledged in her filing that she had thrown food items at her father during the incident.14People. Ioan Gruffudd’s Daughter Files Abuse Allegations Against Bianca Wallace On June 23, 2023, Judge Josh Freeman Stinn denied Ella’s request against Wallace, finding she “did not sustain the applicable burden of proof.”13Yahoo Entertainment. Everything to Know About Ioan Gruffudd’s Family The application against Gruffudd was folded into the broader custody proceedings.
Support, Property, and the Financial Fight
When the court ordered the sale of the family home in January 2023, each party received $110,000 from the proceeds, with the remainder split between their attorneys.15Andrea Burkhart Substack. Timeline in Ioan Gruffudd v. Alice Evans The marital status was dissolved on July 3, 2023, but only “in status,” leaving child support, spousal support, property division, and attorney fees unresolved.16Nine Entertainment. Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans Divorce Official
From December 2023 through April 2024, Gruffudd paid Evans $3,000 a month in child support and $7,000 a month in spousal support as an advance. Those payments stopped when a scheduled trial was delayed. In July 2024, Evans filed for guideline support, saying she was destitute, earning about $300 a month in acting royalties, with a past-due electric bill of $3,000 and plans to apply for food stamps.17Page Six. Alice Evans Can’t Financially Support Her Kids
An October 2024 order set support at $3,000 per month for child support and $1,500 for spousal support, totaling $4,500 per month. The court also ordered Evans to make “a reasonable good-faith effort to become self-supporting,” warning that failure could result in reduced or terminated spousal support. Evans later moved to increase those amounts, saying she had been evicted from a Los Angeles home for inability to pay $6,500 monthly rent. Gruffudd responded that Evans “purposely got herself evicted” by stopping rent payments while taking the children on a trip to Europe, and that her hardship claims were “false and manufactured.”18People. Alice Evans Requests Court Increase Child Support
Gruffudd has moved to terminate spousal support entirely, citing Evans’s restraining order violations and what he described as persistent domestic abuse. He has also claimed to have overpaid Evans by approximately $400,000.9AOL. Alice Evans Claims Feud Boosted Gruffudd’s Career
What Remains Unresolved
As of mid-2026, the divorce has been final since July 2023, but the broader case continues. The renewed restraining order against Evans runs through at least 2031. Final determinations are still pending on spousal and child support, on property division, and on the custody arrangement for Ella and Elsie, which the court has signaled needs revision in light of its domestic abuse findings. Evans, by her own account, continues to earn minimal income from residuals and convention appearances and continues to contest the financial terms.