Ariel Winter has had massive success thanks to her role as Alex Dunphy on the hit series, Modern Family. She was only 11 years old when she experienced her meteoric rise to stardom (although her career began when she was four), and from an outsider’s perspective, she appeared to have it all. But that could not be further from the truth, and in a recent interview, the actress has bravely decided to speak about some of the challenges she has had to overcome.
In a chat with People, Winter addressed her relationship with her mother, Chrisoula Workman, and how she endured childhood bullying. As an adult, she has worked hard to heal from the trauma, and leaving Los Angeles was one way she could achieve this. The cover story was shared on Instagram, and she was tagged in the post, allowing her 5.1 million fans to show their support.
Ariel Winter’s Fans Praise Her Bravery As She Shares Some Hard Truths About Her Life
One person who praised Winter for her strength was actor Nolan Gould, who played the role of her brother, Luke Dunphy, on Modern Family. “I love you and I’m so lucky to call you a friend. Proud of you,” he commented. His message has been liked thousands of times (and it shows just how close the cast of Modern Family is)!
Other reactions to the post include, “Ariel is dope! Extremely kind and loving and super talented,” “Love to see you speaking up and sharing your lived experiences with such vulnerability – it’s nice to see you healing and your story will help so many others in their own journey,” and “You are so brave Ariel, I hope you know that.”
The story is eye-opening, and Winter does not hold back when discussing the events that have shaped her life, including how growing up while starring on Modern Family opened her up to criticism about her appearance. Speaking of the negativity, she told People: “It was every headline I read about myself, like, grown people writing articles about me saying how I looked terrible or pregnant or like a fat sl**. I mean, I was 14. It totally damaged my self-esteem.” She is 27 now, but the hatred she was subjected to is not something she is ever likely to forget.
Winter and Gould have also given a glimpse into their friendship before, with posts on Instagram including a trip to a Horror Nights event in October 2024. “Spent a night getting spooked with some of my favorite people,” Winter wrote in the caption and tagged several people, including Gould.
Despite Winter’s many difficulties, it’s good to know she has great people by her side!