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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Amy Denman

Ioan Gruffudd beams alongside girlfriend Bianca as they celebrate his birthday amid custody battle

Ioan Gruffudd has been photographed smiling while arm in arm with his girlfriend Bianca Wallace in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Liar actor Ioan, 49, looked dapper as he and Bianca, 30, headed to Crossroads Café in LA to celebrate his birthday.

Ioan wore a navy blazer over a white T-shirt along with a pair of beige trousers, which he teamed with a pair of white trainers.

He had his salt and pepper hair groomed neatly and sported a short beard on his face, in photos shared by Mail Online.

The actor looked in good spirits, despite his ongoing custody battle with his ex wife Alice Evans over their daughter Ella, 12, and eight-year-old Elsie.

Ioan Gruffudd and Bianca Wallace stepped out in LA to celebrate the actor's birthday (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Ioan and Bianca looked cosy as they walked arm in arm together (Corbis via Getty Images)

Bianca had penned a sweet tribute to her actor boyfriend on Instagram to mark his birthday.

She took to her Instagram page to share a picture of him standing and looking out at the ocean.

In the snap, he donned a navy ensemble as he placed his hands in his pockets and stood on a diving board to admire the endless blue view.

Bianca shared a photo of the Liar star to mark his birthday and pay tribute (iambiancawallace/Instagram)

She told him the world is a 'better place because of you and your kind, gentle heart'.

"To the most precious man on the planet… on my new favourite date! Happy birthday to you, my love," Bianca, who is 19 years younger than Ioan, wrote.

"The world is, and always will be, a much better place because of you and your kind, gentle heart..

Bianca said the 'world is a better place because of you and your kind, gentle heart' as she gushed over her beau (iambiancawallace/Instagram)

"We have been through more than most in such a short time together, but I wouldn’t change anything because of what it created for us. I love you!"

She concluded the message with: "Ps. This photo makes me so happy! One year ago today I gave a very shocked Yo his birthday gift - Staying at the glorious Eden-roc! Such beautiful memories."

It comes after Ioan and his ex-wife Alice, 54, failed to come to a custody agreement over their two children after the Hornblower actor filed for joint custody two months ago.

Ioan is going through a custody battle with his ex-wife Alice (Getty Images)

He also requested custody and visitation rights to see them but, according to the court documents, Alice and Ioan haven't settled their differences in court.

Ioan and Alice's meeting was set up for August 31 but 'no agreement' had been reached – despite the help of a mediator.

The document added that another date has been scheduled for Tuesday October 11 at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles.

According to the Mail, the Superior Court of Los Angeles states that: "Parents are required by law to attend a mediation orientation/parent education program and a mediation session prior to appearing at an Order to Show Cause or Trial regarding the custody and/or visitation of their children."

Ioan and Alice, who met on the set of 102 Dalmatians, separated in January 2021 after 13 years of marriage.

Alice announced their split in a tweet, which she later deleted. It read: "My beloved husband/soulmate of 20 years, Ioan Gruffudd, has announced he is to leave his family, starting next week. Me and our young daughters girls [sic] are very confused and sad. 'We haven't been given a reason except that he 'no longer loves me."

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