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Ariel Winter’s life in LA is behind her.
The 27-year-old “Modern Family” alum revealed in a new People cover story published Wednesday that her decision to move away from Los Angeles with her boyfriend, Luke Benward, in 2020 stemmed from dealing with online bullying.
“It was just everywhere,” she said. “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 slut.”
“I mean, I was 14,” Winter noted. “It totally damaged my self-esteem.”
Winter, who was 11 when she was cast as Alex Dunphy in the award-winning ABC comedy, explained that she “understood what it was like to be hated” as she dealt with online trolls.
“No matter what I was going through, I was a target,” she shared. “It made it very difficult to look at myself in the mirror and go, ‘I love this version of me.'”
During Winter’s time in the spotlight, she accused her mother, Chrisoula Workman, of abuse. Workman, whom Winter no longer speaks to, has denied all the allegations.
Speaking about her biggest source of trauma, Winter told People, “It’s just my entire childhood. It’s a really deep, painful, sore, sore part for me that’s so much deeper and bigger than I’ve ever felt ready to talk about.”
At age 14, Winter was removed from her home from the Department of Child and Family Protective Services and placed in the care of her older sister, Shanelle Gray, who became her legal guardian.
“I went on to have a great rest of my teenage years thanks to being under her custody,” said Winter, who was later legally emancipated and declared an adult.
She talked about the emancipation on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2016.
“Nobody controls you anymore,” the then-18-year-old said. “You handle your own business affairs, your own living arrangements, your own money. Everything is sort of in your own hands.”
Winter added of her sister, “She’s been the best part of my life. She really is my best friend. She’s the most important thing to me. She’s been there for me through absolutely everything. And I just love her so much. I count on her more than anything.”
In the People interview, the “ER” actress clarified that despite moving from LA she “didn’t leave the industry.” She said she’s still pursuing acting while working on producing her own projects, starting a podcast and developing a cooking show.
“I just left the city of LA. It holds some not-great memories for me, and I’m young and never lived anywhere else, and thought, ‘Why not?” Winter explained.
“If you’re no longer on a network show that shoots there, you don’t really have to be there, and if I get a network show, I can easily go back,” she added.
Winter also spoke about her involvement with the organization SOSA (Safe From Online Sex Abuse), which protects children from pedophiles.
“Technically, yes, I’m a survivor,” she stated. “I’ve gone through some s–t. But a lot of people have gone through some s–t. Calling me a survivor takes away from what I’m here for, which is to help others and shine a spotlight on those that need it.”
Winter added: “More than anything, I want my story to be that she uses her platform for good. My journey to figuring things out and healing is now through helping other people. That’s all I care about.”
English (US)