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Topics: Hollywood, Mental Health, Los Angeles, Celebrity
Ariel Winter has spoken out on her decision to leave Los Angeles and transition to a simpler way of life with her partner and six dogs.
The Modern Family star is best known for playing Alex Dunphy in the hit show, but her performance as the middle child in the sitcom was a far cry from the 27-year-old's life away from the cameras.
The LA-born actor began her career in commercials when she was just four years old, and at 11, she landed the prize role as Alex which thrust her into the public eye.
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The limelight brought the unwanted attention of both online trolls and the tabloid press, and soon enough she found articles and comments made about her appearance and how her body was changing as she got older.
Speaking to People, Winter said of the negativity: "It was just everywhere.
"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 s**t. I mean, I was 14. It totally damaged my self-esteem.
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"I understood what it was like to be hated. No matter what I was going through, I was a target. It made it very difficult to look at myself in the mirror and go, 'I love this version of me'."
But unbeknownst to the public, Winter wasn't experiencing the glitz and the glam of Hollywood which we at home have come to believe.
When she was just 14 years old, the Department of Child and Family Protective Services were forced to step in and remove her from her home, with Winter accusing her mom, Chrisoula Workman, of abuse - to which she has publicly denied any allegations.
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Her older sister, Shanelle Gray, took over guardianship of her.
"I went on to have a great rest of my teenage years thanks to being under her custody," she told the publication of her sister.
Though Winter confessed that she did not want to speak further of it, while touching on her 'single biggest source of trauma', she said: "Honestly, it’s just my entire childhood.
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"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."
Now, after receiving counselling to help her move forward in life, Winter, alongside her boyfriend, fellow actor Luke Benward, decided to move out of LA to live a more humble life after Modern Family came to a close in 2020 - but that doesn't mean she's given up on acting.
"I didn’t leave the industry," she said. "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?' 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."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.