Actor Ioan Gruffudd files for divorce
COURT records in Los Angeles show that Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd has filed for divorce from actress Alice Evans.
The couple’s relationship hit the headlines in January after Evans tweeted to say Gruffudd was leaving her and their two children. The post was later deleted.
Gruffudd, 47, filed for divorce at Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday. Further details were not immediately available.
Gruffudd and Evans, 49, met on the set of 2000 film 102 Dalmatians and had been married since 2007.
Evans shared a screenshot of a news report on the divorce to Instagram and said: “Oh. Ok. Thanks for letting me know. I guess?”
Writing on Instagram last month, Evans said she and Gruffudd were “discussing legal separation”, and added: “But we are still friends.”
Cardiff-born Gruffudd had a role in 1997 blockbuster Titanic, before starring in ITV series Hornblower from 1998 to 2003. His other film roles include Black Hawk Down, Horrible Bosses and San Andreas.
AN ALCOHOLIC turned up at his former partner’s home and banged on her window after messaging her to say he wanted to kill her.
Gareth Jones, 38, had been made subject to a restraining order in February last year preventing him from contacting his ex-partner after their “complex relationship” came to an end.
She said Jones would become violent after drinking alcohol and there had been a number of incidents which left her in fear for her safety.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard the defendant, from Treforest, and the complainant rekindled their relationship and she considered applying for the restraining order to be removed.
But the relationship came to an end after another drunken incident and the woman blocked the defendant on social media and put a stop to all communication.
On January 28 she received a text message from Jones at 5.45am which read: “I am coming to see you and when I catch you, I swear boy I am going to kill the two of you.”
She didn’t reply to the message but at 6.32am she received another text from the defendant which read: “Answer your f ****** phone right now, answer your phone”.
Prosecutor Nigel Fryer told the court Jones arrived at the woman’s home at 8.30am and attempted to open the front door which had been locked.
He then knocked on the window before climbing on top of a tree stump and attempting to remove the beading from the window to gain entry. His ex started to record him and when she told the defendant she was ringing the police he put the beading back and wiped his fingerprints from the window before leaving.
Jones, of Stow Hill, was later arrested and he pleaded guilty to harassment and breaching a restraining order.
Defence barrister Eugene Hickey said his client had issues with relationship breakdowns and would turn to drink when dealing with difficult periods in his life.
Sentencing, David Wynn Morgan said: “This was a relationship on the face of it which may have been rekindled but you went beyond contact and transgressed into criminal behaviour.
“A great deal has been offered in assistance and help to you but it’s quite apparent when a sudden difficulty arises you return to alcohol as a prop or a crutch.”
Jones was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment and was made subject to an extended restraining order of five years.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse visit the Live Fear Free website or call the helpline on 0808 80 10 800.
A FAMILY from Cardiff say they are “devastated” after gravediggers damaged their grandfather’s grave by digging in a neighbouring plot.
Mel Woolnough, 59, from Rumney, said she “couldn’t believe” the damage to her fathers grave in Thornhill Cemetery caused by workers digging nearby.
Mel says she often tends to the grave of her dad Ivor Taylor, who died in 2009, and said it has been upsetting for the whole family after the damage was found by her granddaughter.
She said: “Eleven years we’ve been going up there, me and mum. We always say we’re going to look after ‘dad’s garden,’ we always make sure it looks nice.
“We take some sandwiches and a little picnic and chat to dad as we say, we take a walk, tend to the garden – just try and make it nice.”
Mel said she first heard about the damage from her granddaughter’s other grandparents who had been in tending to a different grave. The damage is thought to have happened last Thursday and Mel saw it on Saturday.
She said: “I got a phone call from my granddaughter’s other nanny saying that something had happened to the grave and it looked a bit of a mess and we should go up to see.
“I tried not to think about it too much because everyone’s version of mess is different but I have to say I was shocked. My mum is so upset, we always make an effort to make it look nice and it’s been ruined. We are devastated really.
“It’s absolutely disgusting, they’ve got no respect. What gives them the right to treat our dad and the children’s grandad’s grave like that? We are very upset.”
Mel said she has been contacted by the cemetery manager who explained the damage happened while gravediggers were trying to secure the land after digging a new plot nearby.
“The manager of the cemetery has rung me and was very apologetic and said he will fix things but I don’t understand how it happened in the first place,” said Mel. “He said that they were digging next door because it wasn’t safe. If it’s not safe why is someone being buried there?
“They’ve said they will fix and rebuild the borders and will replace the ornaments. How can you replace the ornament? They’re all sentimental and have been bought and put there by family members on different occasions. Some were bought for special birthdays, you can’t replace birthdays.”
A council spokesperson said: “A grave at Thornhill Cemetery was accidentally damaged last week, when following a prolonged period of wet weather, the walls of a grave on a neighbouring plot collapsed while it was being dug.
“Immediate steps were necessary to make the area safe, and ensure the integrity of nearby graves, and during this process some small personal items were unfortunately damaged.
“Our Bereavement Services team spoke to the family as soon as possible, and will be making all necessary repairs to reinstate the grave.”