In July, news of Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello’s divorce broke. The former couple have both seemed to move on to new love interests since, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a tumultuous time. In a new interview with People, the Modern Family actress admitted that it has been a challenge for her.
“I’ve had a very interesting year,” she said. “I don’t want to say ‘bad’ or anything like that, but it’s been very interesting and very difficult.”
Vergara added, “I went through a divorce this year, the SAG strike that went on for so long. 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.”
But she is ultimately optimistic.
“I think all the things are resolving, everything is going to be okay and I’m very excited for next year,” she said.
Vergara and Manganiello announced the end of their marriage in a joint statement.
“We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives,” they said at the time.
Since their break up, Vergara has begun seeing orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman, while Manganiello is casually dating actress Caitlin O’Connor.
A source told Entertainment Tonight that “things are going great” between Vergara and Saliman.
“They like each other a lot, but Sofia is also taking things slow,” the source said. “Sofia and Justin have a lot of fun together and Sofia always keeps everyone around her laughing and in positive spirits. Justin likes that she takes pride in keeping her personal life private, that she’s up front and honest, and that she can be her genuine self with him.”
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.