Joe Manganiello claims ex Sofía Vergara mocked the chihuahua he got during his near-fatal health battle

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

In June, Joe Manganiello opened up about suffering from life-threatening autoimmune-related illnesses. Now, the actor has claimed that his ex-wife, Sofía Vergara, mocked him when he adopted a chihuahua during his struggles.

The official synopsis for his memoir Bloodlines, which is set to be released on October 13, explains: "A cascade of autoimmune-related illnesses attacked his skin, thyroid, eyes, lungs, and digestive system, plunging him into a seven-year battle, plagued by chronic pain, a life-saving organ amputation, existential crisis, and a prolonged fight for survival that left doctors with few answers and no clear explanation."

Now, in an excerpt obtained by PEOPLE, the Magic Mike star revealed that during the illness, which started in 2015, shortly after his wedding, he lost 60 lbs. He also had part of his intestines removed, which left him relying on an ostomy bag.

Manganiello also revealed how his illness affected his marriage. Actor Manganiello and America's Got Talent judge Sofía Vergara announced their split in July 2023, after eight years of marriage.

In his memoir, the 49-year-old claimed the marriage 'become devoid of any emotionality whatsoever.'

While going through his health battles, Manganiello adopted Bubbles, a 5-lb Chihuahua, in 2019, during a period when he said he was contemplating suicide.

Manganiello adopted a chihuahua named Bubbles (Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

“I had to give my gun away because I kept thinking about it, and then the dog came. I went from being the patient to the caretaker,” he wrote.

In his memoir, Manganiello alleged that Vergara ridiculed him for the chihuahua he adopted. He also claimed that his former wife refused to hug him, even when he begged.

When news of their divorce emerged, Vergara told El Pais: "My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom. I feel it’s not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore."

At the time of the split, Vergara was 50 years old. Manganiello was 46.

The Big Trouble actress is mother to Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, 35, who she shares with her first husband, Joe Gonzalez.

The couple went their separate ways in 2023 (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

However, Manganiello claimed in his memoir that there were 'things said and printed about me that were false,' and claimed that he lost the desire to have children following his illness.

The couple reportedly discussed the option of going down the egg donor route after failed attempts at IVF, but Manganiello says he didn't want to leave his wife 'with a child that wasn't hers' should the worst happen.

UNILAD has contacted Sofía Vergara's representatives for a comment.

In June, after news broke of Manganiello's seven-year health battle, he told PEOPLE in a statement: “It was the most brutally difficult time of my life, one I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but also my greatest adventure.

"I hope that what I went through on this journey can give readers hope that answers and healing may lie for them on the other side of whatever they are fighting through. The process of writing this book gave me the gift of perspective that helped me to see that my suffering was a cocoon from which I would emerge forever changed.”