Melina Alves says Joey Lawrence’s apparent reunion with estranged wife, Samatha Cope, comes as a “surprise” to her following the couple’s August divorce filing.
Lawrence’s Socked In For Christmas co-star, who was implicated in cheating accusations surrounding the actor’s split from Cope, released a statement to PEOPLE after the married couple hard launched their reconciliation.
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“While these situations are always multifaceted, I’d like to keep the details of it and my friendship with Joey private,” Alves said of her relationship with Lawrence. “As far as Joey and Sam reuniting and reconciling, it came as a surprise to me as everyone else, and if it’s true, I wish them all the love.”
The actress continued of the couple, who married in May 2022 and share 23-month-old daughter Dylan, “I wish them restoration with the relationship with his two older daughters and his wife as that relationship is ever so important. And now their sweet girl, Dylan, gets to be raised in a home with both of her parents, surrounded by her sisters, her wonderful and loving grandmother Donna, and the rest of her family and that’s truly beautiful.”
The Blossom alum shared an Instagram post on Dec. 4 featuring a loved-up photo with Cope at the premiere of their new romantic comedy, Marry Christmas. In a second photo, the two kiss with the words “my forever after” written underneath.
The apparent reconciliation occurred four months after Lawrence and Cope filed for divorce in August after two years of marriage. It was then revealed in court documents obtained by TMZ that Alves’ husband, Edward Rider, accused Lawrence of breaking up his marriage by allegedly having a sexual relationship with his wife while working on Socked in for Christmas together.
Alves denied at the time ever having an affair with Lawrence, writing on her Instagram, “I want to clarify that there was no sexual relationship between myself and Joey while we were on set filming.” She continued, “Our relationship was a meaningful friendship that developed naturally due to the many similarities in our personal situations.”
The Brotherly Love alum also denied having an affair, claiming on Instagram in late August that the split with Cope was “tied to my realization that there was no way my two eldest daughters were ever going to be accepted by my wife to be part of my family.” Lawrence continued that his daughters Charleston, 18, and Liberty, 14, whom he shares with ex-wife Chandie Yawn-Nelson, “are, and always will be, my top priority,” adding, “I cannot and will not compromise on the love and care that my daughters deserve, and this realization played a significant role in the breakdown of my relationship.”
