Melina Alves denies having an affair with Joey Lawrence days after Samantha Cope filed for divorce

Melina Alves finally broke her silence on affair rumors with her co-star Joey Lawrence, saying that they have a "meaningful friendship."

The actress released a statement on Instagram on August 28, 2024, to discredit the rumors linking her romantically with her Socked-in for Christmas co-star. In the statement, Alves said that she felt "deep sadness" about recent allegations and also addressed her relationship with Joey Lawrence, saying:

"First and foremost, I want to clarify that there was no s*xual relationship between Joey [Lawrence] and myself, while we were on set filming Socked-in for Christmas. Our relationship was a meaningful friendship that developed naturally due to the many similarities in our personal situations."

Melina Alves added that she was "immediately struck" by Lawrence's "kindness, warmth, and genuine character." Their shared experiences and the "common ground" they found led to a "strong, supportive friendship," she said.

Rumors of Alves and Lawrence's affair came out after the actor's estranged wife, Samantha Cope, filed for divorce earlier this month. Another news report came out that Alves's husband, Edward Rider, filed to divorce that actress in July and alleged that she and Lawrence "committed adultery" while filming for a movie in California, among other places and times.

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Melina Alves shares more about her marital struggles amid cheating rumors with Joey Lawrence

Elsewhere in the statement, Melina Alves shed some light on her own marital problems with her former husband, Rider, to "provide context to the allegations." The actress noted that they separated in January 2023 and started "living in separate rooms" last year. She added:

"Our marriage had been struggling for some time, and the separation was a necessary step for both of us."

Alves noted that she "always valued [her] privacy," so it was "incredibly painful" for her to have her private life thrust into the public eye. She also noted the harm she and her co-star needed to endure for being "unjustly dragged" into the rumors. Hence, she was "compelled to share" her own marital woes, including a certain incident with her ex.

While Melina Alves didn't specify what happened, she did say that the incident forced her to obtain a temporary restraining order. She mentioned that Rider violated the restraining order, and when she went to the police about it, her ex tried to dish out their personal matters to news outlets. She said that her husband was trying to air out their dirty laundry by contacting news outlets which further victimized her.

The actress ended her statement by asking for "understanding and respect" during the difficult circumstances. She also reiterated that she never intended for her "deeply private" matters to become public, but she was forced to speak out to clarify and end the rumors about her and Joey Lawrence.