HOLLYWOOD star Ioan Gruffudd delighted fans on Father’s Day as he kissed wife Bianca’s blossoming baby bump in a silhouette portrait that revealed he is becoming a dad again.
But the joyous photograph has caused fresh turmoil for his “fuming” ex Alice Evans, with concerned pals saying it has “rubbed salt in the wounds” after her battle to avoid homelessness with their two kids.
Over the moon Ioan Gruffudd with Biana Wallace[/caption]
Ioan and Bianca announced their news on social media[/caption]
Since the couple’s messy break-up four years ago, the 56-year-old actress has railed bitterly against Fantastic Four star Ioan, 51, resulting in one of the most public and vicious divorce battles in showbiz.
And while he has continued to find work and moved on with new wife Bianca Wallace, who he married earlier this year, Alice has resorted to begging fans for cash on crowdfunding websites as her savings dry up.
A source close to the mum of two said of Ioan’s very public pregnancy announcement: “Alice will be absolutely fuming over this.
“She’s made no secret of the fact she’s destitute looking after the two kids, so to have him rub how well he’s doing in her face is a real gut-punch.
“For Ioan to not only break the news like that, but do it on Father’s Day . . . it’s yet another horribly upsetting saga for her to deal with.”
Since their 2023 divorce, the former sweethearts’ relationship has deteriorated further in public and played out painfully in the courts.
Ioan won a restraining order against Alice following a string of social media posts she made about him, including a claim he told her “he would leave if I gained weight”.
‘Asking if anyone had a spare room’
He, in turn, accused his ex of “child abuse” for allegedly not taking his daughters to all their therapy sessions.
Relations were so strained that their eldest girl Ella, then 13, applied for a restraining order against him, which was denied by a judge.
While Welshman Ioan’s career has continued to flourish — seeing him starring in Will Smith’s Bad Boys comeback last year — Alice has not made a film or TV show since 2018.
In February, she claimed she and her children would end up homeless in Los Angeles.
She has relied on the kindness of fans, launching a crowdfunding appeal on the GoFundMe website and asking if anyone had a “spare room”.
Earlier this month, Alice complained that “nobody even wants to employ me”.
But this month, having collected nearly £14,000 in donations, she finally managed to find a new place to live.
While Alice has struggled as a single mother, Ioan’s social media paints a very different picture of his life.
If you were to glance at his Instagram, you would think things were perfect with wife Bianca.
They frequently post images of themselves smiling and laughing together in swanky locations.
Last month, they shared a video of their intimate wedding, with the pair sipping champagne just after sunset.
And yesterday, actress Bianca, 32, wrote, “Baby Gruffudd poppin’ out to say hello!” next to the image of Ioan kissing her bump.
Our source added: “Alice knows every baby is a blessing, and as a devoted mother herself, she understands how joyous a first baby is. But this will cut her deep.
“Her kids are her top priority and to her, this just looks like they’re moving lower down the pecking order.”
Alice certainly has had little to smile about.
Her social media messages often talk about the “hate” against her online and going “through hell” over the past few years. And work has been tough to come by.
Alice, who was born in the US but grew up in Bristol, has taken to earning money by offering personal videos to fans via the Cameo website.
Other than that, her main income stream seems to be from appearances at conventions for her old TV shows including The Vampire Diaries and Lost.
Both Ioan and Alice have been highly successful performers, starring in big-budget productions, so her financial struggles have come as a surprise to fans.
The couple met while making 2000 Disney movie 102 Dalmations with Glenn Close.
Ioan with Alice Evans in 2015[/caption]
Ioan, Alice and their kids before split[/caption]
But the cost of paying lawyers in their long-running divorce proceedings has left the coffers drained.
Alice noted: “If you don’t know divorce court, you simply cannot know how much money is wasted.”
With rents rising, and her facing losing her previous home in Los Angeles earlier this year, Alice said she had nowhere to go with her daughters Ella and Elsie, 11.
She wrote: “We may be on the verge of being thrown out of our current home but I am working like heck to stop it happening and to keep my girls happy and healthy.”
The actress had worried she would end up without a roof over her head or in temporary accommodation.
Now, the sight of her ex-husband kissing Bianca’s bump will no doubt sour her joy over securing a place to live.
It has been obvious since Hornblower star Ioan told Alice in January 2021 he “no longer loves her” that this was the opposite of an amicable break-up.
She told followers on social media that “I will wash my linen in public” — and she has been true to her word.
Alice spoke about her pain and claimed that Ioan “is always angry — he was born angry”.
When he went public about his relationship with Australian Bianca in October 2021, Alice struck back, accusing her estranged husband of being unfaithful.
There was no proof, though, that he had cheated on Alice with his new partner.
In the face of constant accusations from Alice, Ioan filed for a restraining order in February 2022.
The actor claimed she had harassed him with hundreds of text messages and abusive emails.
In the court documents, Ioan alleged: “Alice threatened to tell people I had abused her and our daughters; she threatened to call the police on me if I did not comply with her demands.
“She threatened to tell people I am a drug addict and put me in prison; she threatened to write a fake diary that reflected an abused victim, and to have the diary published.”
In August 2022, Ioan persuaded a judge to issue a three-year restraining order against Alice, which prevented her from making social media posts against him and Bianca.
She was twice accused of breaching it, but charges were dropped.
Their battle for custody over their two daughters, who were conceived using IVF, also turned very nasty.
Alice wants sole custody, while Ioan has pushed for joint custody.
Ella’s application for a restraining order against her dad in 2023 involved claims that Bianca had “slammed a door on her” during a visit.
A couple of months later, though, her case was dismissed by a judge and Ioan responded by claiming that it was Alice who was harming their children’s welfare.
He said: “Alice has continued to inflict serious emotional harm on Ella and Elsie by her statements and by interfering in my relationship with them.”
The divorce did come through, but the custody battle rolls on.
It is understandable that Ioan and Bianca are excited about their baby news.
Bianca was diagnosed with aggressive multiple sclerosis in 2019, which left her unable to pick up a pen and fearing she would be left unable to walk.
A source close to Ioan added: “Ioan’s only wish is to spend more time with his children, and he’s already gone to court to fight for them.
“Despite Alice’s efforts to freeze him out, he wants nothing more than to keep them in his life and out of this sad tug of war.”
