Alice Evans is a ‘total nightmare’ and ‘out of control’. Friends of Ioan Gruffudd tell KATIE HIND his side of the story, reveal the truth about the Rolex row… and brand his ‘cruel’ ex’s claims of poverty ‘just nonsense’

When Ioan Gruffudd’s fiancée Bianca Wallace posted a photo of herself wearing a new Rolex watch, she had no idea it would cause such a huge stir.

She was a hardworking actress and saw no harm in a little shopping spree every now and then.

But Wallace’s pride in her latest acquisition marked the beginning of a new chapter in the long-running feud between British actor Ioan and his ex-wife Alice Evans.

Alice, the mother of Ioan’s two daughters, claims she is living in poverty because the Welsh heartthrob is not paying her the maintenance she is entitled to.

She says her ex hasn’t paid her anything at all since April, either in child support or spousal support (something he denies), and last week she filed a legal request for “alimony” in anticipation of a hearing on alimony payments scheduled for later this year.

Given the circumstances, the sight of Bianca with a watch worth thousands of pounds on her wrist – matching the stunning engagement ring Ioan bought her when he proposed in January – has only fuelled her anger.

Friends of Ioan, who say they cannot stand by and watch her make such “unfounded and untrue” claims, say he is equally furious. They describe British-American actress Alice, 55, as a “total nightmare” who is “determined to do her ex as much damage as possible”.

They claim he “paid more than the court ordered,” that he has been making payments since April and that her pleas of poverty are “simply nonsense.”

They also point out that Bianca has the right to spend whatever she wants, including an expensive watch.

One of them told the Mail: ‘If anything, Ioan Alice has paid too much than the court has ordered. He wants the best for his children and would ensure they are fully cared for as they should be.

‘That Alice says otherwise is totally wrong. And what Bianca spends her own money on is her business; to add something to that is really stupid.

“She’s her own woman who has her own money. It feels like a last ditch effort to get a doll.

“Alice comes across as very bitter and jealous. While these things are never easy to deal with, this one spirals out of control. It becomes a desperately sad situation. You’d think Alice would know when to be quiet.

“It borders on very cruel.”

But cruelty is the underlying theme of this divorce, which was made public in January 2021, when Alice announced on Twitter that her husband of 14 years was leaving her.

‘My beloved husband/soulmate of 20 years Ioan Gruffudd has announced that he will be leaving his family from next week. Myself and our young daughters girls [sic] are very confused.

“We were not given a reason other than ‘he doesn’t love me anymore’. I am so sorry.”

When that tweet disappeared, she posted another one, saying he had deleted her announcement. She wrote, “Yes, if I’m being gaslighted and mentally tortured, I will wash my laundry in public.”

As recent events show, she certainly meant it.

The Rolex incident marks just the latest sad twist in a saga that had such a promising beginning.

Ioan and Alice met on the set of 102 Dalmatians over 20 years ago, when they played on-screen lovers Chloe and Kevin. They fell in love in real life and on New Year’s Day 2006, he popped the question.

A lavish wedding in Mexico followed, and then came Ella, now 14, and then ten-year-old Elsie. They settled in Los Angeles, where they became known as one of Hollywood’s cuter couples and quickly made many friends.

But cracks began to appear in their marriage. Then the war of words began, which quickly escalated — and as the fallout raged, the gloves came off.

According to Ioan’s friends, part of the problem was that Alice had a tendency to tweet after she had a few drinks.

She also frequently posted rambling messages on the video website Cameo, where she sold messages to fans for £30.

At one point she admitted that she “probably drank too much.”

“Alice was clearly in pain, but she would go on Twitter and post regularly,” says a friend of her ex-husband. “Some of it was very inappropriate and hurtful. There were children involved.

‘Ioan felt that he would keep a dignified silence about it.’

In a bid to end what he saw as a campaign of abuse, Gruffudd took legal action, claiming in court papers that Alice had labelled him a “child abuser” on social media.

He also accused her of creating anonymous social media accounts, as many as 22 on Twitter/X, which she used to smear him to her followers.

In court documents last year, Ioan, 49, alleged that Alice had called him an “abusive prick,” violating a restraining order that had been in place for three years.

He also claimed that Alice flashed her “bare ass” when he dropped the children off at her Los Angeles home.

Ioan claimed: ‘Since May 26, a number of anonymous social media accounts have been created – 22 on Twitter – calling Bianca and me ‘child abusers’ and making incredibly defamatory and libellous 23 allegations.’

Friends say it was “obvious” what she was doing.

A friend of Ioan said: ‘Alice is trying to make it as difficult as possible now.

‘At this rate it feels like it will never end. There have been such wild accusations; let’s not forget all the Twitter posts the judge had to stop her from.

“Why would you want to put your children in a situation where they have to read all that? They’re at an age where they can see all that. It’s hard to understand why anyone would do that. It’s insane; none of this has been good for their well-being.

“We live in an age where this kind of stuff stays on the Internet forever. If people aren’t reading it now, why aren’t they reading it in the years to come?”

“He’s tried to help them and make sure they’re well taken care of. He’s pushed for them to get therapy.

“Those girls are the most important thing to Ioan and it is really terrible for him to see this happen.”

As for the future, Ioan’s friends fear that the aftermath will “never go away” and will continue to haunt the already divided family for a long time to come.

“Alice will just come back at every opportunity,” says a friend of the Hornblower star.

“She’s so angry and she doesn’t seem to have much else to do at the moment. We can only hope that Alice finds a way to find her own happiness.”