Ioan Gruffudd and his girlfriend, Bianca Wallace, are engaged less than one year after he finalized his divorce from ex-wife Alice Evans.
“The most precious thing happened… ,” Wallace, 31, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, January 20, sharing a photo of the pair nearly kissing as she flashed her engagement ring.
Gruffudd, 50, popped the question with a three-stone bauble that featured two round diamonds flanking a pear-shaped green rock.
In a follow-up comment, Wallace acknowledged that the couple would likely “tell the [proposal] story one day soon.” She added, “It was a super adorable shock .”
Gruffudd and Wallace confirmed their relationship in October 2021. “Thank you for making me smile again,” he captioned a pic of the pair on Instagram.
Several months earlier in March 2021, Gruffudd filed for divorce from Evans, 55, after 14 years of marriage.
“As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for our family and we remain committed to our children,” Gruffudd and Evans told Us Weekly in a joint statement. “Thank you for respecting our privacy.”
The two actors share daughters Ella, 15, and Elsie, 11.
Amid their separation, Evans claimed via since-deleted social media posts that Gruffudd had been unfaithful before they broke up. He later obtained a three-year restraining order barring Evans from mentioning him on social media and sharing private correspondence from their daughters.
Us confirmed in June 2023 that Ella filed her own temporary restraining order (TRO) against her father and Wallace for “domestic violence prevention.” Per the court documents, Ella alleged that Wallace allegedly “slammed a door” on her head after an argument when they first met. A judge denied the request for a TRO against Wallace but granted one against Gruffudd. Neither Gruffudd nor Wallace have publicly addressed Ella’s claims.
One month later, Us confirmed that Gruffudd and Evans had finalized their divorce. The proceedings were settled in “status only,” according to court documents, since the pair had yet to reach a settlement.
Gruffudd’s relationship with Wallace continued to heat up despite the family drama. He also remained in his girlfriend’s corner after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
“Look, it’s not an easy illness. I’m more proud of the partners. I feel more sorry to the partners of people with MS because for us you have to face it, you genuinely don’t know what it’s going to be like,” Wallace told The Daily Mail at an MS fundraiser in May 2022. “But when you’ve got an amazing support system, everything’s different, everything changes. I feel very lucky to be with someone so supportive. It’s amazing, I haven’t had this before. To have someone who is understanding is incredible.”