Laurence Fox has launched a furious attack on his ex-wife Billie Piper, accusing her of ‘denying’ him access to his son Winston on his 14th birthday.
The actor, 44, took to Twitter on Thursday night to share a smoking post in which he claimed his ex-wife Billie, 40, used his two sons as “weapons” against him.
The former couple, who divorced in 2016 after nine years of marriage, have two sons: Winston (14) and Eugene (10).
Family: Laurence Fox has launched a furious attack on his ex-wife Billie Piper, accusing her of ‘denying’ him access to his son Winston on his 14th birthday. Pictured: Billie and Laurence with children Winston and Eugene in 2013
On Twitter, Laurence accused Billie of denying him access to their children because he was unable to see or speak to his eldest son Winston on his 14th birthday.
He wrote: ‘It is’ [my son’s] tomorrow’s birthday and his mom has denied him access to see or speak to me, I’m using my platform to highlight what child alienation does to families. Children need both parents.
“Don’t be the parent who refuses to let their sons talk to their father, especially on their birthday. Don’t be that parent. Put children first. Don’t use them as weapons.
“It’s so bad for kids. Child alienation needs to be talked about openly, just like any other child abuse.’
Kids: The actor, 44, took to Twitter on Thursday night to share a smoking post in which he claimed his ex-wife Billie, 40, used his two sons as “weapons” against him.
Billie’s representatives declined to comment when MailOnline contacted them.
Laurence and Billie divorced in 2016 after nine years of marriage on the grounds of Laurence’s “unreasonable behavior.”
When they broke up, they declared their intention to “co-parent their children with the utmost mutual respect for each other.”
Laurence said they agreed to share custody and continue the arrangement when someone was working outside the home.
Guardianship: The former couple (pictured in November 2014), who divorced in 2016 after nine years of marriage, share two sons – Winston (14) and Eugene (10)
Between 2016 and 2017, Laurence and Billie became embroiled in a lengthy custody dispute over access to their children.
The proceedings ended in the Family Division of the High Court in December 2017 and Laurence previously claimed they drained his finances.
In January 2018, he said: “I was definitely in a very dark place at one point – at my lowest ebb. I almost felt like I couldn’t go on. It all felt so hopeless.
‘When you get divorced, you immediately lose half the time you would spend with the children. That in itself is a mental health crisis. But like everything else, these feelings pass and you start to feel stronger every day.
Allegations: Laurence accused Billie on Twitter of denying him access to their children, claiming that he was unable to see or speak to his eldest son Winston on his 14th birthday.
“Men don’t feel comfortable talking about relationships anymore, and for the men who bottle it, it can be disastrous – throwing themselves off buildings.”
After his court proceedings, Laurence began campaigning to transform the family court system, which he described as “unnecessarily contradictory.”
At the time, he said, “Actually, I feel very sad. The process didn’t have to be that long, drawn-out and hostile.
“And ours was fast because we have cash. I feel that the children have been robbed of their young lives. It’s been half of Eugene’s life.’
In 2020, he also revealed that: he considered committing suicide after he and Billie split in 2016, after nine years of marriage.
Split: Laurence and Billie (pictured in November 2013) divorced in 2016 after nine years of marriage over Laurence’s ‘unreasonable behaviour’
Speaking to The Sunday Times Magazine, Laurence blamed the family court for the assumption that women are “better educators and nurses of children” after a lengthy custody battle with Billie over their two children.
He said: ‘Certain aspects of the family law system are difficult as a man. [It assumes women] are better educators and nurses of children, when all the facts are that children need both parents.
‘It’s ‘Believe the woman’. It’s like “No! Don’t believe the woman. Provide the evidence. Provide this evidence. Judge me like a criminal, man, and let’s see how far you get.” This is a poison in our culture and it is wrong.
“I can imagine that every divorce is like that. There are a lot of guys out there who outdo themselves because of this stuff.’
And when asked if he was considering committing suicide, he added, “I did. Not in marriage. Then.
‘Not from the grief of the breakdown of the marriage, while I did grieve for the breakdown of the marriage, because you see it as a failure.
“But suddenly not being a family with your kids every day was the bit that sent me over the edge, and I had definitely, definitely thoughts about what’s the point of living?”
Last year, Billie also discussed the difficulties of co-parenting her children with her ex Laurence Fox over the Christmas period during the early years of their divorce.
The I Hate Suzie star described the period as “troublesome” and admitted she has a lot of compassion for other couples who are in the same situation.
To talk with thank youDiscussing her plans for Christmas 2021, Billie admitted it’s not easy being a blended family over the holidays.
Troubled times: Last year, Billie discussed the difficulties of co-parenting her children with her ex Laurence Fox over the Christmas period during the early years of their divorce
She said: ‘It’s a weirdly emotional time of year anyway, so throw in any logistics or difficulties and it’s just… the first few years are tough and I have a lot of compassion for people going through them.
“I’m pretty far along in that arrangement now, and you’ll find your way around it. The advantage for the children is that you celebrate it with many more people.’
Billie and Laurence married after six months of dating on New Year’s Eve 2007, in Eastbourne, West Sussex, and Laurence has previously described their relationship as “hedonic”.
Billie was previously married to Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans and put the finishing touches to her divorce when she met Laurence during rehearsals for West End play Treats.
If you have been affected by anything in this article and need help, please call the Samaritans at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
Marriage: Billie was previously married to Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans (pictured in 2003), and put the finishing touches to her divorce when she met Laurence during rehearsals for West End play Treats