Alice, 53, told The Sun: “He wouldn’t talk to me, wouldn’t look at me and went to sleep in the spare room. Eventually, I thought I might do myself harm.”Actor Alice, who met Ioan when they filmed 102 Dalmatians together in 1999, described recent months as “pretty much every woman’s nightmare”.In her first TV interview on the breakdown of her 13-year marriage to the Welsh actor, Alice told ITV’s Lorraine: “I was one of those very complacent — what’s the Bridget Jones phrase? — ‘smug marrieds’.“I thought it was never going to happen to me.”Alice’s pain was compounded when she learned on social media last month that her estranged husband, who found fame on TV’s Hornblower, was dating an Australian actress.He posted an Instagram picture of himself on set with Bianca Wallace, 29, and captioned it by thanking her for helping him to “smile again”.The Titanic actor had blocked Alice from seeing his account just before making the announcement.Dissolving into tears on a video call from her home in Los Angeles, Alice told presenter Lorraine Kelly: “I think I was owed more than an Instagram after 20 years and two children. It was a little bit cowardly.”Alice, who has also starred in hit teen drama The Vampire Diaries, recalled the moment in August 2020 when she knew the marriage was in serious trouble.‘Dignified silence’Ioan, 48, had just returned from filming crime drama Harrow in Australia and Alice had stayed up all night to track his plane back to LA, where they lived with daughters Ella Betsi Janet, 11, and eight-year-old Elsie Marigold.She said: “He came in and he hugged the kids, and then just very dryly gave me a kiss on the cheek.”Within days he had told Alice he “didn’t feel the same way any more”. Five months later, while still living together but sleeping in separate rooms, Alice felt she was “going to lose my mind” and may harm herself.She announced in a since-deleted tweet that Ioan wanted to “leave his family” and that he “no longer loves her”. Then “all hell broke loose”. Since January, Alice has regularly poured her heart out online, despite warnings from her lawyers and public criticism.In response to those who said she should have kept a “dignified silence” for the sake of her family, she said: “I don’t know how you can describe a dignified silence when I’m talking about my entire life falling to pieces around me.”On Twitter this week, Alice reposted a question by another user on what to say if you met your 18-year-old self, writing: “Avoid Ioan Gruffudd,” with a crying laughing emoji.She added beneath, presumably referring to their daughters: “Kidding folks! I’d never have had my Es!” Ioan is rumoured to have met his new girlfriend on the set of Harrow, in which he plays a forensic psychologist and Bianca is an extra.Previously, an insider told The Sun that their relationship was an “open secret”.And after viewing his Instagram post admitting his affair, Alice publicly accused her husband of cheating on her for “three years”.But one wardrobe assistant insisted Ioan and Bianca only encountered each other during filming of the third series of Harrow last year.Alice was nevertheless devastated and has lashed out at mutual friends, including former EastEnders actress Tamzin Outhwaite, for congratulating the new couple, demanding to know if they had known about their romance before she did.And her social media posts have continued thick and fast. On Sunday, Alice tweeted a home video from Christmas 2019 of Ioan playing a memory game with their daughters.She captioned it: “He was ALREADY WITH HER. He had already promised her he would leave us. If you look at his face, there is something there. But God — I was in heaven. I had absolutely NO IDEA.”Responding to an article that described Alice as posting “homewrecker slurs”, she defended herself, writing: “Guys, why is it a slur if she actually IS a home-wrecker. If you don’t want criticism, stay away from married men w/kids. I’m speaking up for ALL women who get cheated on.”Over on Instagram last week, Alice posted a throwback picture with Ioan.“Oops! This came up when I was going through old photos. No offence to the ‘New Girlfriend’,” she wrote, adding several laughing emojis. Three days later she reposted the same picture but blacked out Ioan’s face, apologising to anyone who thought she was “being unkind to Bianca (my husband’s mistress) by posting a pic of me and my 20 year love together.”‘True to his word’Alice added: “It must have hurt her a lot, the idea that he may have been still sleeping with his wife, or even taking photos of her. I’m sorry Bianca. He’s yours of course. I’ve taken him out. Now you won’t have to worry.”Alice also replied to a tweet that warned Ioan’s lover not to gain weight because he liked his women “anorexic skinny”. Alice wrote: “You’re not wrong. He told me several times over the years that he couldn’t abide ‘fatties’ and he would leave if I gained weight.”In a dig at herself, she added: “I guess he was true to his word this time.”There could be more revelations to come too, because in August, Alice shared a picture of a watch strap engraved with “Just write the damn book Alice”.Ioan filed for divorce in March and Alice admitted yesterday that what she hoped could be an “amicable” split has turned messy.She said: “It’s much more scary than I would’ve thought.“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to stay here in the house or how much I’m going to be able to have the girls. It’s gotten very nasty for some reason and I don’t know why.” The pair now only communicate through their lawyers.On dividing opinion with her public outbursts, an emotional Alice said she refuses to keep quiet.The actress added: “I would say support is now about 80 or 90 [per cent] in favour of me. Not in favour of me against him, but in favour of me speaking out and understanding why I’m doing it.”As Lorraine concluded their chat, she told Alice: “It’s just so sad to see you so upset. We know there are always two sides to every story, but what you’ve been saying today is absolutely heartbreaking.”Ioan, meanwhile, is keeping his version to himself.The Sun has contacted Ioan’s spokesperson.Mental health supportThis article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
Powered by WPeMatico
