The estranged couple's united front comes after the '102 Dalmatians' actress declared on Twitter that her husband of 13 years saddened her and their daughter with his declaration of him leaving them.

• Jan 28, 2021

AceShowbiz - Ioan Gruffudd has broken his silence over his sudden separation from wife Alice Evans. Shortly after his estranged wife publicly claimed that he declared his intention to leave their family, the "Fantastic Four" actor issued a joint statement with her, describing their split as an "incredibly difficult time."

"As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for our family and we remain committed to our children," so read the joint statement from the former couple that was released to the press. In it, the pair added their request for privacy by simply stating, "Thank you for respecting our privacy."

Ioan and Alice's united front came after the "102 Dalmatians" actress declared on Twitter that her husband of 13 years left her and their daughter. "Sad news. My beloved husband/soulmate of 20 years, Ioan Gruffudd, has announced he is to leave his family, starting next week," she wrote in a since-deleted tweet.

"Me and our young daughters girls are very confused and sad," the mother of two went on noting in the Tuesday, January 26 post. "We haven't been given a reason except that he 'no longer loves me.' I'm so sorry."

Alice later claimed that it was Ioan who took down her post. In another tweet, she wrote, "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."

Alice's post was met with criticism suggesting that her move to announce the split via Twitter was "weird." Another follower, however, jumped into her defense by explaining, "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."

The second comment did not go unnoticed by the Esther Mikaelson depicter on "The Vampire Diaries". In response, she wrote back, "This is exactly why. And thank you. Six months of harassment: yes/no/maybe. I cannot live like this anymore."

Alice and Ioan met on the set of "102 Dalmatians". They tied the knot in 2007, and are parents to two daughters, eleven-year-old Ella and seven-year-old Elsie.