OK! Goes Inside Hollywood's Dirtiest Divorce Battle — As It's Marred by Johnny Depp-Style 'Poopgate' Accusation

OK! can reveal Ioan Gruffudd's bitter divorce war with Alice Evans has escalated into one of Hollywood's most acrimonious legal battles, now overshadowed by bizarre allegations involving bags of dog excrement and courtroom claims that echo the infamous "poopgate" controversy from Johnny Depp's defamation trial against Amber Heard.

Gruffudd, 52, the Welsh actor known for roles in Fantastic Four and numerous television dramas, recently secured a major legal victory in Los Angeles when Judge Michael Convey renewed a domestic violence restraining order against his former wife Evans, 57, for five years.

The ruling followed a contentious trial examining Evans' online conduct toward Gruffudd and his new wife, Australian actress Bianca Wallace, 33.

Gruffudd and Evans split in early 2021 after more than two decades together and finalized their divorce in 2023.

The former couple share two daughters, Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12. Gruffudd married Wallace in April last year and the couple welcomed a daughter, Mila, in November.

Judge Convey said Evans had engaged in a sustained campaign of harassment against Gruffudd and Wallace.

He told the court Evans had carried out a "concerted, focused, intentional and caustic campaign of denigration" aimed at the pair.

The judge said Evans' behavior had serious consequences. He added her "threats of force and intimidation… caused Ioan to fear for his and Bianca's physical safety."

The court heard Evans had repeatedly violated a previous restraining order imposed in 2022 requiring her to stay 100 feet away from Gruffudd and Wallace and to avoid posting negative comments about them online.

Convey said he was not convinced by Evans' apologies during testimony. "Is it true remorse? I am not persuaded. But it is a positive step forward," he said.

One incident cited by the judge involved Evans allegedly confronting Gruffudd in front of their daughters.

According to the court, Evans "screamed at Gruffudd at the top of her lungs," and warned she was going to "Amber Heard" him – before telling the girls: "If daddy's creepy with you let me know."

The case took an even stranger turn during testimony from Linda Blank, who previously ran Evans' Facebook fan club before later managing a fan page for Gruffudd.

Blank alleged Evans encouraged supporters to target the actor with an unusual form of revenge.

Blank told the court: "Alice gave us Ioan's address and encouraged us and other people to send him a bag of dog excrement."

She said the idea was to damage Gruffudd's public reputation following the breakdown of the marriage – adding: "She wanted people to think he was the bad guy… running off with Bianca and leaving her and their girls, leaving her destitute."

The allegation drew comparisons with the infamous "poopgate" episode from the 2022 defamation trial between Depp, 62, and Heard, 39. During that case Depp testified that human f---- were discovered in his bed in April 2016 after an argument with Heard.

Depp told the court he found the incident so shocking it helped mark the end of their marriage.

He said discovering the f---- was "so grotesque" he could only laugh and described it as "the last straw."

Heard denied responsibility and claimed the f---- came from her teacup Yorkie, Boo, which she said suffered from bowel control problems.

A security guard, Starling Jenkins, later testified Heard admitted it had been a "horrible practical joke gone wrong."

Back in the Gruffudd case, the judge said Evans' online conduct had caused significant distress to Wallace, including after Evans disclosed publicly that Wallace suffers from multiple sclerosis.

Gruffudd's lawyer Joseph Langlois said after the latest ruling: "You have to start somewhere and this is a start for Alice to correct her life."

Langlois added: "The judge gave her some good advice and I'm hopeful going forward that she'll fix things, that she'll change and turn her life around."

The trial is expected to continue with a second phase addressing child support and spousal support disputes between the former couple.