'It's an incredibly difficult time': Ioan Gruffudd breaks his silence on split from wife Alice Evans as he says their 'thoughts are with their children' (and he's still wearing wedding ring)
- Screen star spoke to photographers as he went grocery shopping on Saturday
- Actor, 47, was also spotted wearing his wedding ring whilst on a coffee run in LA
- Wife Alice Evans revealed couple were to split, in Twitter statement last week
- In tweets Ioan was accused of 'mentally torturing' and 'gaslighting' his wife Alice
- Ioan said he developed 'bond' with Harrow co-star Ella Newton, 30, while filming
- MailOnline has contacted representatives for comment. There is no evidence to suggest Ioan was ever unfaithfulIoan Griffudd has broken his silence on his 'extremely difficult' split from wife Alice Evans on Saturday, days after it was revealed via Twitter that their marriage was over.
Still wearing his wedding ring, the Welsh actor, 47, stopped to briefly to speak with photographers as he went grocery shopping solo at Trader Joe's in Los Angeles.
Addressing the split, he said: 'Look, as I said before, it's an extremely difficult time for the family, our thoughts are with our children obviously right now and I'd really respect a little bit of privacy right now, thank you.'
Speaking out: Ioan Griffudd has broken his silence on his 'extremely difficult' split from wife Alice Evans on Saturday, days after it was revealed via Twitter that their marriage was over
Earlier in the day, he was spotted breaking cover for the first time since the end of his 13-year marriage was announced as he went on a coffee run.
The screen star was seen grabbing several drinks at Starbucks during the rare outing on Saturday, before heading back to his Los Angeles home - where it's understood his wife remains with their two young daughters. In a shock Twitter statement this week Ioan was accused of 'mentally torturing' and 'gaslighting' his wife Alice as she revealed the couple were breaking up, claiming 'he no longer loves me'.
The decision came following Ioan's return from Australia, where he has been shooting season three of Harrow alongside Ella Newton, 30, and Anna Lise Phillips, 46, who plays his ex-wife.
'Difficult time': Still wearing his wedding ring, the Welsh actor, 47, stopped to briefly to speak with photographers as he went shopping solo in Los Angeles
Coffee run: Hours earlier, he was seen returning to his Los Angeles home with three drinks and a bag of food from Starbucks, his wife Alice and two daughters are thought to be there
Family first: Ioan and his wife have said they will put their daughters Ella, 11, and Elsie, seven, first whilst maneuvering the splitIoan, who plays a a forensic pathologist in the drama, told an Australian publication how he developed a close bond with his co-star Ella while filming the series in the country.
Speaking of his 'bond' with Ella, Ioan told an Australian newspaper: 'I'm so lucky. We bonded almost immediately, so there's a lot of respect there.'
Ella, who has a boyfriend, plays Ioan's daughter in the Australian drama. There is no suggestion Ioan has been unfaithful to his wife.
On Friday Ioan and Alice were reportedly seen together in Los Angeles, putting on a united front.
No one else to blame: Ioan's mother Margaret Griffiths, 73, denied that anyone else is to blame and said his split from his partner of two decades is 'very sad'
The actor kept it casual in an all navy quilted jacket and chinos paired with a baker boy hat and tan boots
The Sun reports that Ioan said of Ella: 'Ella — well, look, everyone gets branded 'someone to watch', but from working with her, she certainly is.
'You can't take your eyes off her when she's on screen. She's so raw because she's so young and inexperienced. But she's eager to learn, eager to listen.'
MailOnline have contacted representatives for comment. There is no evidence to suggest Ioan was ever unfaithful.
Ioan has spent three long spells in Australia filming the TV drama Harrow, in which he plays a divorced forensic pathologist.
Ioan Gruffudd told an Australian newspaper how he developed a close bond with his co-star Ella Newton, 30, (pictured) while out filming Harrow, their new television series in Australia
Alice Evans and Ioan Gruffudd pictured in Los Angeles, California, in 2016
On-screen: Ioan has been in Australia hooting Harrow alongside Ella (pictured), who plays his daughter, and Anna Lise Phillips, 46, who plays his ex-wife
He was in Brisbane over the summer of 2020, making the third series with his co-stars. When he returned, all seemed well —on the surface.
His wife Alice posted a picture of the two of them cuddling up reunited in August with the fond caption: 'He's back and he's grumpier than ever (shhh!).'
It comes after Ioan's mother has insisted 'no one else' was involved in the breakdown of his 13-year marriage to wife Alice.
In a new interview, Margaret Griffiths, 73, denied that anyone else is to blame and said his split from his partner of two decades is 'very sad'.
Mother-of-two Alice revealed the couple were breaking up in a shock Twitter statement this week, claiming he 'no longer loves her', before accusing him of controlling her social media account and 'mentally torturing her.'
Cast: Speaking of his 'bond' with Ella, Ioan told an Australian newspaper: 'I'm so lucky. We bonded almost immediately, so there's a lot of respect there' (pictured cast of Harrow)
In character: Ioan has spent three long spells in Australia filming the TV drama Harrow, in which he plays a divorced forensic pathologist (pictured with Anna Lise Phillips)
Ioan has since blocked fans from looking at his online profiles, by setting them to private.
When asked if 'anyone else' caused their separation, Mrs. Griffiths, a former teacher, told The Sun: 'No, no, no.'
Mrs. Griffiths reiterated the couple's comments about putting their daughters Ella, 11, and Elsie, seven, first, adding: 'It is very sad and we are all very sorry it has happened, of course.
'But the children will come first whatever happens, that's for sure. He's over there (US) and we're here and because of Covid, there's no chance of seeing him for the time being. He's alright.'
'It's very sad': The actor, 47, has recently been accused of 'mentally torturing' his wife Alice Evans (pictured together in July 2011)
'I'm very confused and sad': Alice, 49, revealed they were breaking up in a shock Twitter statement this week as she claimed he 'no longer loves her' (pictured last August)
The actor has also blocked fans from looking at his social media profiles, by setting them to private.
The move to protect his online security comes after Alice accused him of controlling her Twitter and 'mentally torturing her'.
Ioan and Alice released a joint statement earlier this week, insisting they were 'committed to their children'.
Detail: Retired teacher Margaret Griffiths, 73, (pictured with Ioan in July 2005) denied that anyone else is to blame and said his split from his partner of two decades, 49, is 'very sad'
The united front followed an extraordinary 24 hours, which saw a series of tweets posted by the actress - and subsequently deleted - claiming her husband was leaving the family and she was being 'gaslit and mentally tortured'.
Alice also accused Ioan of hacking her Twitter account to delete the original tweets stating he was leaving her and their children because he 'no longer loves' her.
A statement released to MailOnline from the couple reads: 'As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for our family and we remain committed to our children. Thank you for respecting our privacy.'
Nothing to see here: The Welshman has since blocked fans from looking at his social media profiles, by setting them to private
Break-up: The thespians have vowed to 'remain committed to their children' amid their explosive split drama (pictured with daughters, Ella, 11, and Elsie, seven in June 2018)
Alice took to Twitter on Monday to share the 'sad news', stating Ioan said he 'no longer loves her' and has left her young daughters feeling 'very sad'.
The original statement was later deleted, with Alice alleging that it was her estranged husband who had taken to her account and removed the message.
She posted another Twitter message, reading: 'Hi there. I didn't delete the tweet from a few hours ago about him leaving. He did. From my account...
'And hell yes when I am being gaslit and mentally tortured then hell yes I will wash my linen in public', however this tweet was also deleted later on.
After the now-deleted message, she was then criticised by a follower, who penned: 'Seems like a weird thing to be posting on Twitter'.
'Our young daughters and I are very confused and sad': Alice took to Twitter on Monday to share the 'sad news', stating her 'soulmate' said he 'no longer loves her'
'I won the lottery': They welcomed their first child after one round of IVF, while their youngest girl arrived after eight rounds of treatment (pictured in May 2020)
In response, in a message which remains on the page [at time of publication], Alice responded writing: 'Why? I have lost my mind'.
One follower then penned: 'I did the same when this happened to me. I think it's how one acknowledges there's no returning to what existed before. Accepting it by stating it publicly helps you to recognize the impossibility [of] reconciliation.'
She then responded: 'This is exactly why. And than you. Six months of harrassment: yes/no/maybe. I cannot live like this anymore'.
In the original shock statement, Alice penned: 'Sad news. 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 girls are very confused and sad. We haven't been given a reason except that he 'no longer loves me'. I'm so sorry.'
'I didn't delete the tweet from a few hours ago about him leaving. He did': In a twist in the tale however, the statement was later deleted before Alice sent another surprising tweet
Ioan's father claimed his 13-year marriage to Alice had been in trouble for some time prior to their split.
Peter Griffiths, 72, said news of the couple's separation did not come as a 'complete surprise' and that he had been 'aware' of problems between the pair.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline from his home in Pentyrch near Cardiff, South Wales, the retired headteacher said: 'As a family you are aware of these things going on.
'I have spoken to Ioan and we are of course incredibly sad but I do not want to go into too much detail.
'We are very sad, particularly for our two granddaughters. It is just very sad, but these things do happen and marriages do end.'
In a telling sign, Ioan spoke of their relationship struggling in February 2020.
He told The Guardian: 'I think we've struggled the past four years, making time for each other because physically we're apart.'
The couple's daughters were conceived through IVF after discovering Alice had a low antral follicle count at the age of 38.
They welcomed their first child after one round of IVF, while their youngest girl arrived after eight rounds of treatment - which costs upwards of £7,000.
Alice wrote in the Daily Mail in 2016: 'Extremely high blood pressure earned me total bed rest for the last two months of the [first] pregnancy and then there I was, in a hospital bed, sweating and screaming and writhing about – just like on television.
'A mere 40 hours later Ella arrived, a 6lb 2oz lobster-red baby-alien. Instantly none of my other plans mattered. This was the thing I should have done years ago. The only thing. It was as close to being in heaven as I'd ever get.
'This time our first cycle failed. As did our second. Our third didn't even produce any eggs to fertilise. Our fourth gave us a few to freeze. It wasn't working.
She defended her messages in a duo of exchanges with followers
'Finally, physically, mentally (not to mention financially) depleted, we decided sadly that cycle eight would be our last. Elsie Marigold Evans-Griffith was born on September 13, 2013.
'She has her dad's big brown eyes but not his unfeasibly long tongue, thank goodness. I know how lucky I am. I won the lottery.
'I get to kiss goodnight to the two most precious human beings I've ever met. My goal now is to get the word out. Don't wait until it's too late.'
The couple met on the set of 102 Dalmatians in 2000, when Alice was in a relationship with Pablo Picasso's grandson Olivier.
The pair became engaged six years later after she gave him an ultimatum about their relationship, and tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Mexico in September 2007.
Ioan previously gushed about their strong bond and 'fantastic relationship'.
Background: The pair became engaged on New Year's Day in 2006 later and tied the knot in Mexico in September 2007 (pictured in February 2016)He stated in an interview with Who: 'When we first got engaged, there were a lot of people who were like, ''Oh actors who are married can get quite difficult because there's too many egos involved.'' But we've just had a fantastic relationship.'
In 2017, Alice spoke about a 'sinister' encounter she had with disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, just hours after Ioan screen-tested for one of his movies in Cannes in 2002.
Alice claimed the producer propositioned her and invited her to join him in a hotel bathroom.
Ioan shared his support for as he said in an interview with The Sunday Post in 2018: 'I just wanted to hold her hand and walk her through it. She's an extraordinary woman, fiercely strong and bright and one of the bravest people I know.'
He added to The Guardian last year: 'I was very proud of Alice. Because women were not being believed.
Early beginnings: The couple met on the set of 102 Dalmatians in 2000 (pictured), when Alice was in a relationship with Pablo Picasso's grandson Olivier
'She wanted to say, 'No, this is definitely his modus operandi. This is how he behaves. I've witnessed it.' So she wanted to present the case, help bolster the case.'
Alice was born in New Jersey to British parents, teacher Janet and university lecturer and mathematician David.
She was raised in Bristol with her brothers Anthony and Philip, and temporarily worked in Paris after studying Italian and French at the University College London.
Alice frequently updates fans with images of her family and credits Piers Morgan's journalist wife Celia Walden, actress Joanne Froggatt and socialite Lady Victoria Hervey as her close friends.
Ioan's parents were also educators, and the Amazing Grace star grew up in a Protestant non-conformist household with his younger siblings Alun, 45, and Siwan, 40, in Cardiff.
He first featured in Welsh TV film Austin at the age of 13, before he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and appeared in TV shows and films such as Poldark, Titanic and Hornblower.
During the early stages of his career, the star lived with fellow actor Matthew Rhys - who served as best man at his wedding - for nearly 10 years.
Ioan is best known for his roles in Fantastic 4, W. and Horrible Bosses, while Alice has starred in The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and Dangerous Parking.
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