Ioan Gruffudd took the stand Monday and made a stunning claim, that his ex-wife, Alice Evans, threatened to destroy his acting career by making false accusations against him. The trial, held in Los Angeles, marks a dramatic new chapter in one of Hollywood’s most bitter celebrity divorces.
What Happened in Court
Gruffudd, 52, testified that Evans, 57, threatened to “Amber Heard” him, a reference to the high-profile defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Depp sued Heard for $50 million after she wrote a 2018 Washington Post op-ed about domestic abuse. He won the case in 2022.
According to the Daily Mail, Gruffudd told the court that Evans said directly to him: “You won’t be an actor, baby, you’ll just be begging for money.” He described feeling deeply threatened by those words.
He also alleged that Evans made serious accusations in front of their two daughters, Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12. “She accused me of being a child molester, a pedophile and a drug addict,” he claimed on the stand. “She said I was out of my mind on sex and drugs and millennials.”
Gruffudd told the court he feared Evans would “use my public image to create a scandal bigger than Brad and Angelina.” He called her alleged behavior “incredibly threatening.”
Why This Trial Is Happening Now
The Fantastic Four actor filed for a restraining order against Evans back in February 2022. In court documents obtained by Page Six, he alleged that Evans had repeatedly threatened between August 2020 and January 2021 to “make false public accusations,” sell false stories to the press, and ruin his reputation if he ever left her.
A three-year restraining order was granted to Gruffudd in August 2022. That order is now up for renewal — which is exactly why both sides are back in court. Gruffudd and his new wife, Bianca Wallace, 33, whom he married in April 2025, are both seeking the renewal. They claim Evans has stalked them and attacked them online.
Gruffudd also alleged in court that Evans threatened Wallace specifically, claiming she planned to “create a false crime that Bianca perpetrated” so that Wallace, who is not an American citizen, would be deported. He further alleged Evans hired a private detective to surveil Wallace.
A Bitter Split With a Long History
Gruffudd and Evans married in 2002 after meeting on the set of a film. They separated on January 1, 2021, and their divorce was finalized in 2023. The breakup was far from quiet. Evans took to social media repeatedly to air her grievances, accusing Gruffudd of having a three-year affair with Wallace, who had previously been Evans’ friend. Gruffudd denied the affair allegation in court Monday.
In June 2023, the couple’s oldest daughter, Ella, filed for a restraining order against both her father and Wallace. That request was denied by the court.
Financial tensions have also played out publicly. In July 2024, Evans filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court asking Gruffudd to increase his child and spousal support payments. “While I am struggling to put food on the table for our children, Ioan is jet setting around the world,” she alleged in those filings. She also claimed she had drained her personal savings on legal fees.
What Comes Next
The trial is ongoing. Representatives for both Gruffudd and Evans had not responded to media requests for comment at the time of publication. The court will ultimately decide whether the restraining order will be renewed, a decision that could have significant implications for how the two co-parent their daughters going forward.
This case has drawn comparisons to the Depp-Heard trial, not just because of Gruffudd’s testimony, but because it raises broader questions about allegations, public accusations, and how they can affect a celebrity’s career and personal life. Unlike Heard, Evans has not been sued for defamation. These are allegations made in court by Gruffudd, and Evans has not yet presented her side publicly in this trial.