Warring Hollywood exes Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans took their long-running feuds to a Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday, this time fighting over his claim that she has kept him from seeing his two young daughters for most of the past year.
The two – who are both seeking custody of the girls – officially got a divorce last month, ending a dramatic celebrity marriage that lasted 14 years.
But it didn’t end their bitter and acrimonious disputes that began after their divorce two years ago when Fantastic Four star Gruffudd, 49, hit it off with his current girlfriend Bianca Wallace – who, at 31, is 24 years younger than Evans.
On Thursday, their lawyers were in LA Superior Court to deny Evans’ demands for spousal and child support — and Gruffudd’s plea to the judge to allow him more time with their daughters, Ella, 13, and Elsie, nine.
Lawyers for Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans were back in court on Thursday as the former couple continue to fight for custody of their two daughters, Ella, 13, and Elsie, 9, (pictured in April) amid their messy divorce
Gruffudd, who has been in a relationship with girlfriend Bianca Wallace (pictured in February) since his divorce from Evans in 2021, is also asking for more time with his daughters, claiming his ex has kept him from dating for most of the past year to see them
The feuding exes were legally separated in July – two years after the actor filed for divorce after 14 years of marriage
Judge Josh Freeman Stinn banned the press from the hearing because it involved discussions about visitation and custody of minor children.
But while whatever was discussed or decided about custody of the girls remains secret, Gruffudd claimed in public court documents that he was only allowed to spend seven percent of the past year with his daughters, while his ex spent the other 93 percent of the time. had. their time.
“Due to (Evans’) estrangement from the children, (Gruffudd) has only spent about 27 days with their children in the past year,” his attorneys said in legal filings.
“Gruffudd is hopeful for more timeshare and custody arrangements.”
The judge continued the financial issues of child and spousal support until a new hearing on February 7 next year.
In one of the former couple’s latest skirmishes, the Welsh actor accused Evans of setting up fake Twitter accounts to brand him and Wallace as “child molesters” after daughter Ella tried to get a temporary restraining order against her father and Wallace.
Gruffudd – who met Evans when they starred together in the 2000 Disney film 101 Dalmatians – filed for divorce in March 2021, shortly after the blonde-haired actress claimed on social media that her husband of 14 years had left her and their two daughters.
In documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Gruffudd claimed his ex had custody of their daughters “93 percent of the time.”
Gruffudd claimed in court documents that he only spent about 27 days with Ella and Elsie this year due to Evans’ estrangement from the kids
The actress shared a slew of snaps with her two girls on Instagram as they celebrated her 55th birthday last week
She tweeted at the time: “Sad news. My beloved husband/soulmate of 20 years, Ioan Gruffudd, has announced that he will be leaving his family as of next week.
“Me and our young daughters are very confused and sad. We have not been given any reason other than that he ‘no longer loves me’. I’m very sorry.’
Their split would only get worse from then on as Evan made headlines with a slew of public statements and accusations against her estranged husband.
After months of barbed tweets and social media posts by Evans, Gruffudd responded by filing for a restraining order and submitting 113 pages of unhinged texts and emails that had not previously been made public.
In his lawsuit, Gruffudd alleged that he told Evans he wanted to get out of the marriage in August 2020, and that she had since harassed him with hundreds of unanswered text messages, abusive emails and social media posts – many of which he posted in the submit.
Having previously obtained a temporary restraining order against his estranged wife, Gruffudd successfully obtained a three-year restraining order against her in August 2022.
A US judge has introduced stricter restrictions, including a ruling preventing Alice from leaking private text messages from their children.
The Welsh actor first applied for custody and the right to visit to see his children in December 2022. He is pictured with his estranged wife and their daughters in 2018.
Gruffudd and Evans announced their marriage was over in January 2021 and he went public with his new romance with Wallace in October.
Evans appeared in court in February 2023 to answer two charges of violating a restraining order issued by her estranged husband. The charges were later dropped.
Three months later, in documents filed in LA Superior Court, the couple’s teenage daughter filed for a restraining order against her famous father and his girlfriend.
In the documents, Ella stated that she is “afraid” of her father and accuses him of “threatening to call the police when she misbehaves” during their visits.
Ella filed a domestic violence restraining order against her Gruffudd after what she said was an ugly incident at their home, claiming Bianca “slammed a door on her head.”
In June, Judge Freeman Stinn denied her request for a restraining order and appointed minors’ counsel—a lawyer appointed by the court to represent the best interests of Ella and her young person.
Weeks earlier, Gruffudd had filed court documents accusing Evans of setting up fake Twitter accounts to label him and Wallace as “child molesters.”
He also alleged that Evans yelled at him outside his Los Angeles home, calling him a “fucking abuser” and “abusive c***” in front of Ella.