Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd is pleading poverty in his bitter divorce with Alice Evans and begging a court to enforce the sale of their $2 million marital home – before it’s repossessed.
Gruffudd, 49, claims his actress ex has been living at the LA pad for free since they split in January 2021 while he shells out $6,570 a month in mortgage payments, insurance and property tax.
He wants a judge to list the three-bed, La Jolla property for sale before it goes into foreclosure because neither he nor Evans have the funds to cover missed mortgage payments totaling $15,271, a $4,616 power bill and $11,793 in unpaid tax.
‘Alice and I cannot afford to keep it, yet Alice will not agree to sell it,’ Gruffudd protests in a new court filing obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com.
The Welsh actor also paints a bleak picture of his finances in the December 2 doc, claiming he’s had just one paid presenting gig in the past year and is now so poor he’s relying on handouts from current flame, Bianca Wallace.
Actor Ioan Gruffudd has been in a fierce divorce battle with his actress ex Alice Evans since their split in January 2021
Gruffudd has been shelling out $6,570 a month in mortgage payments, insurance and property tax and says he no longer has the funds to pay on his La Jolla home
Gruffudd filed for divorce after Evans claimed on social media that he was walking out on her and their two daughters Ella, 13 and Elsie, 9
‘The rent for my apartment is $3,400 per month; I live there with my girlfriend, who has been paying the majority of our living expenses, and all of our rent, since September 2022 due to my financial circumstances,’ Gruffudd reveals.
The actor claims he’s had just one paid presenting gig in the past year and is now so poor he’s relying on handouts from his new girlfriend, Bianca Wallace
‘I have explained these financial circumstances to Alice and have asked her numerous times since we separated, through counsel, to help financially and to agree to sell the La Jolla residence … but Alice has not agreed to my requests or settlement proposals.
‘I believe Alice is capable of contributing to the La Jolla residence expenses short-term. However, based on the information I have, I understand and believe Alice cannot afford to pay the expenses for the residence long-term.’
Gruffudd filed for divorce in March last year weeks after Evans claimed on social media that her husband of 14 years was walking out on her and their two daughters Ella, 13 and Elsie, 9.
Evans continued to blast her ex on social media until Gruffudd sought a restraining order preventing her from sharing their private messages or publishing ‘false public allegations’ about him.
In his new filing, Gruffudd reveals his career has faltered in the past year, leaving him unable to afford a $745,000 mortgage on the marital home where he hasn’t lived for nearly two years.
In court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Gruffudd is asking a court to let him sell their $2million marital home where Evans has been living rent free
‘Since January 2021, I have paid all of the mortgage payments that have been made for the La Jolla residence, and I have paid all property taxes and homeowner’s insurance premiums that have been paid,’ he says in the filing.
‘I have paid the utilities for the La Jolla residence, including electricity, gas, telephone, and cable/internet; I have paid all health insurance premiums for Alice, the children and myself.
‘I have paid for insurance for the community car Alice drives; I have paid the cellular phone bills for Alice, the children, and myself; and I have paid all gardening and pool maintenance expenses for the La Jolla residence.
‘Until approximately April 2022, Alice typically charged day to day expenses such as groceries on joint credit and debit cards, and I paid those credit card bills.
‘Up until April 2022, I paid for the nanny/housekeeper, Gloria. I also paid Ella’s private school tuition and fees for the 2021/2022 school year.’
At the same time, Gruffudd reveals that his 2022 income has been ‘drastically lower’ than previous years.
He says he picked up a presenting gig last month but prior to that had not worked since 2021, when he filmed The Reunion in France. He still owes 67,760 euros ($71,120) to French authorities in tax.
Any royalties for previous work rarely amount to more than $30,00 a year, the Titanic actor adds, insisting he has no other income.
Gruffudd starred as Mr. Fantastic in the 2005 film Fantastic Four. He claims he’s had trouble getting work recently
‘I am continually looking for new projects. I do not have any contract for future work at this time,’ Gruffudd states.
‘I do not have any remaining sources of funds I can use to pay the expenses for the La Jolla residence, or any other living expenses for myself, Alice or the children, for any extended period of time.
‘I currently have about $2,829 in my American bank accounts, and approximately £12,193 in my bank account in the United Kingdom.
‘I do not have any investment accounts, or any liquid retirement accounts that can be accessed without penalties. I am currently paying $2,348 per month for health insurance for myself, Alice and the children.’
Gruffudd indicates in the filing that he’s also seeking answers over the state of his ex-wife’s financial affairs.
Evans launched a GoFundMe account in June, insisting she couldn’t afford to buy essentials for her children because of her spiraling legal fees.
‘Yesterday all my accounts ran out and I couldn’t buy anything. On the same day, my husband’s lawyer sent me a letter telling me I was due in court on August 2nd to argue ‘my case’ in the divorce,’ she wrote.
‘I currently have no lawyer and no funds to pay one. If I don’t turn up at court I will be in contempt, and I have no idea what will happen to me or my kids at that point.’
Gruffudd’s filing says Evans generated pre-tax business profits of $43,608 in 2021 and that same year had $133,038 in a property account in the UK, where she grew up, according to their joint tax returns.
Gruffudd and Evans met on the set of 102 Dalmatians in 2000 and married in 2007 and had both of their children through IVF treatment
The divorce has been anything but amicable. On Instagram Evans accused Gruffudd of using money that should have been spent on their daughters’ wellbeing on his legal case
She collected a further $5,444 from GoFundMe but her November 2022 schedule of assets and debts reflects only $27,633 across three bank accounts.
‘I will be conducting discovery to determine how the rest of Alice’s funds (approximately $105,000) were used during the last year,’ Gruffudd concludes.
‘For all of these reasons, I am now at the stage where I am simply unable to sustain the status quo. I must therefore ask the Court for permission to sell the La Jolla residence to avoid the risk of foreclosure.’
Gruffudd and Evans met on the set of 102 Dalmatians in 2000 and married in 2007 and had both of their children through IVF treatment.
Seven months after their separation, Gruffudd went public on his new relationship with Australian actress Wallace, 30, writing in a gushing Instagram post: ‘Thank you for making me smile again.’
Evans went on social media to accuse her ex of having a ‘three-year relationship behind my back’ but Gruffudd’s elderly mom, Margaret Griffiths, has claimed nobody else was involved in the breakup.
In her own flings, Evans has denied harassing or defaming Gruffudd and is demanding primary custody of the two girls and spousal support.
LA County court records say she is currently being represented by family law attorney Anne Kiley who has been contacted for comment.
