Alice Evans has accused estranged husband Ioan Gruffudd and his new girlfriend of trying to take her daughters away from her.

The Vampire Diaries actress, 53, was left distraught earlier this year when the 48-year-old Welsh actor ended their 13-year marriage before announcing on Instagram that he was in a relationship with Australian actress Bianca Wallace, 29.

Now, in an emotional Instagram live, Alice said she is locked in a bitter custody battle over their two daughters Ella, 12, and Elsie, eight.

Addressing her 83.3k followers, she tearfully explained: “My ex husband and his new wife have been really putting pressure on to get my kids and then have a happy family.

“He’s just lost his mind and he was the only person I thought was looking after me. So now he’s fighting with money and I’m having to find money to fight him too.

“The reason he wants his kids are not altruistic at all. With kids you have to love them. He says ‘it’s my time’.

“I’m like ‘no’. Ella is doing the lead role in something tomorrow night and he doesn’t even know she’s doing a lead role. Elsie is away tonight with some friends and he doesn’t even know she’s going,” she continued.

“I’ve had the kids for not only six months every day of the week, but I’ve had them in the past ten years I’ve had them.

“This Bianca person to get into this idea that they can be the family and I can be pushed out. They can’t. They don’t love them like I do and she doesn’t give a s**t.”

Gruffudd filed for divorce in March citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason behind their split.