Originally appeared on E! Online
Sofía Vergara expected quite a different reaction to the end of her marriage with Joe Manganiello.
The "Modern Family" actress, who's become beloved for playing Gloria Delgato-Pritchett on the ABC sitcom, knew her divorce from the "Magic Mike" actor last year would stir up some talk in the press.
"You're out there and people know — that's part of being a celebrity," Vergara explained during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning on Jan. 14. "I knew it was going to happen. You can't hide those things."
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However, the 51-year-old thought the conversation surrounding the split was going to be a little, er, less kind.
"It wasn't bad," the former "America's Got Talent" judge revealed. "I have to say the press was very respectful and very nice, and I thought that they were going to invent more things. I was surprised that they kind of just said what it was and that was it."
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Photos: Sofia Vergara's Best Looks
Manganiello, 47, and Vergara were married for eight years before calling it quits in July 2023, and Vergara said she's since been "moving on" with her life. Her latest gig, playing real-life Colombian businesswoman Griselda Blanco on the upcoming Netflix drama series, "Griselda," is certainly proof — it's the total opposite of her light-hearted "Modern Family" role.
"[Griselda] was this Colombian woman in the '70s and the '80s that actually took over the drug dealing business not only in Columbia [but] here in the United States too," Vergara said of the character. "When I thought of Griselda, I wanted her to be like Tony Soprano. I wanted her to be a character you didn't hate even though they are a bad guy."
"Griselda" is set to premiere on Netflix on Jan. 25, less than a year after the Colombia native reflected on going through a "very difficult" time personally and professionally in the wake of her breakup.
"I went through a divorce this year, the SAG strike that went on for so long," Vergara told People in November. "I've seen my friends struggle — some had to take their kids out of their schools or had problems with their mortgages, so it's been a weird, weird year."
Still, she ended on a hopeful note, adding, "It's not like it's bad. I think all the things are resolving, everything is going to be okay and I'm very excited for next year."
