Gruffudd

ANNOUNCING the arrival of her baby daughter, Bianca Wallace told how she and her movie star husband Ioan Gruffudd were ‘totally smitten’ with their ‘tiny little angel’.

But while fans were quick to congratulate the 33-year-old aspiring actress and her famous beau, Sun Showbiz can reveal the arrival of Mila Mae Gruffudd ushers in a painful new chapter for Ioan’s ex-wife.

For Alice Evans and her Welsh actor ex, who are parents to older daughters Ella, 15 and Elsie, 11, have been embroiled in one of Hollywood’s nastiest break-ups since they split back in January 2021, and according to our well-placed source, she remains in no mood to back down.

Ioan was well on his way to becoming a major star by the time he had met his first wife, with roles in the blockbuster film Titanic and the Emmy award-winning series Hornblower under his belt.

By the mid 2000s, his career had been sent stratospheric by the Marvel movies Fantastic Four and its sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. 

The couple easily slotted into the A-lister lifestyle of Hollywood, with their impressive LA family pad coming complete with lush gardens, an idyllic pool and a huge entertaining space.

But in January 2021, Alice’s world fell apart when her husband told her he was leaving.

The Brit certainly didn’t take the news lying down, famously alleging in now-deleted tweets that she was being ‘gaslit and mentally tortured’ by Ioan. 

She shared: “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’.”

The fallout was spectacular – Ioan filed for divorce two months later, and his estranged wife went on the warpath on social media, leading to countless public accusations flying back and forth.

The actor secured a restraining order against Alice, citing harassment, in 2022 and in August 2023, a month after their divorce was granted, accused her of ‘child abuse’ after their eldest daughter filed for a restraining order against him.

She hit back, claiming her ex had not seen or called their girls for 11 weeks. 

Aussie Bianca, who at 33 is 18 years younger than Ioan, looked to be at the heart of much of Alice’s distress.

The couple are believed to have met in Australia in 2020 when Ioan was filming the TV series Harrow, with Bianca an extra on the show.

They confirmed their relationship in October 2021 with Alice immediately, very publicly, accusing them of having an affair, an accusation Bianca branded ‘disgusting and vile’. 

Engaged by January 2024, Ioan and Bianca, who insist their relationship started after he split from Alice, married this April and on November 2, their daughter was born. 

“Alice will not hate the new baby – she is the most loving woman and best mother there can be,” said our source.

“She is angry at Ioan and Bianca but not at the new baby. 

“But she will not have her daughter’s feelings discarded or replaced when the new baby arrives. How dare he! 

“She’s also desperately sad that it appears her daughters won’t be close to their new sister due to his cruel actions.”  

‘Friends fear deeply for her’

Alice, 57, was a successful actress when she met Ioan on the set of 102 Dalmatians back in 2000.

The stars played love interests Chloe and Kevin in the movie, and their off-screen chemistry was so sizzling that the former model broke off her engagement to another man, Pablo Picasso’s grandson, Olivier.

Alice wore a white strapless gown when she tied the knot with Ioan on a beach in Mexico in 2007, surrounded by red roses, but today, her fairytale wedding seems a lifetime ago as she embarks on a painful new chapter.

Alice has been trying to balance dignity with desperation.

A source close to the star said: “News of Ioan’s growing family appears to have reopened old wounds while forcing her to confront a future that looks very different from the one she once imagined.”

“Pals say Alice is in deep emotional and financial turmoil; she is a mix of emotions.

“Friends deeply fear for her.”

While Alice and Ioan have been divorced for two years, a row over child and spousal support has continued to rage, with our source describing the former couple’s legal battles as ‘exhausting’ and ‘relentless’.

They also look to have been taking a considerable financial toll on both parties. 

In June 2022, Alice launched a GoFundMe page asking for help with her legal bills and in November 2023, she claimed she could not afford to pay rent or buy food, saying she was considering trying for a job at Starbucks but feared she was too old. 

“Alice has been trying to balance dignity with desperation,” said a Sun Showbiz insider.

‘Her priority is her children and ensuring they are safe and secure, but she is struggling to shield them from the reality of their situation, provide some sense of normality amongst the chaos and drama and protect them from emotional harm because she can’t provide a stable home for them without his support. 

“She will not back down and will fight him for every penny until her girls get what they deserve.” 

In a legal filing earlier this year, Ioan accused Alice of writing a devastating text message that looked to be sent by Ella.

“You left us and now you can’t provide for us,” it read.

“You need to get a job daddy.

“Looking after your girlfriend is not a job.

“You are a father who has abandoned his children and doesn’t see them or talk to them.

“You don’t even send Christmas presents.

“It’s pathetic and everyone sees you.

“Ps if there is enough money for us never to become homeless then why aren’t you helping us out?

“You hate mummy more than you love us.”

Despite the fears for her well-being and despite her hardship and the criticism aimed at her, Alice has reassured pals she is determined to keep going for her daughters.

Today, Alice has custody of their two children, and the trio live in a modest home in Encino in the San Fernando Valley after they left their Beverly Hills apartment when she was unable to pay the rent. 

The actress claims the existing payments she receives from Ioan, of $3,000 a month in child support and $1,500 a month in spousal support, are not enough, while the actor is trying to reduce his obligations, saying he cannot afford them. 

‘She won’t let him destroy her’

With both sides pleading poverty, it is hoped a mediation settlement conference held next month will break the deadlock, but it won’t be easy. 

“Despite the fears for her well-being and despite her hardship and the criticism aimed at her, Alice has reassured pals she is determined to keep going for her daughters,” said our source. 

“She has described the situation recently as ‘torture’, but she won’t let him destroy her – as much as he tries.” 

Besotted Bianca shared her baby news with a sweet image of her kissing Ioan in hospital, saying that the couple were ‘totally in love’ with their daughter.

But as Ioan celebrates the joyful new addition to his family, friends of his ex-wife grow increasingly concerned. 

In another cruel blow, Alice lost her beloved brother Tony, who had been a loyal supporter since the disintegration of her marriage, in August.  

A Sun Showbiz insider added: “As the legal battle continues and he moves forward with a happy, new chapter of his life, pals close to Alice fear she is stuck in a painful place trying to rebuild, trying to be heard, and, most of all, trying to hold her family together.

“Most of all, the pals worry how this will all end.”