'Modern Family' Star Explains Why They Left Los Angeles Behind
In an exclusive interview with People, former Modern Family star Ariel Winter got candid about her life since leaving her hometown of Los Angeles.
Winter, who played Alex Dunphy on the long running ABC sitcom, got candid on the darker side of fame and how it has impacted her mentally.
“I understood what it was like to be hated," she says. "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.'"
While Winter is still in the film and television industry, she boasted how the city of Los Angeles doesn't hold good memories for her.
“I just left the city of L.A. It holds some not-great memories for me, and I’m young and never lived anywhere else, and thought, ‘Why not?," Winter said. "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."
Winter went on to praise her older sister, who became her legal guardian after the Modern Family star was removed from her home by the Department of Child and Family Protective Services when she was 14.
I went on to have a great rest of my teenage years thanks to being under her custody,” she said.
For those unfamiliar, Winter previously accused her biological mother, Chrisoula Workman, of abuse. Since being legally emancipated at the age of 17, Winter has since refrained from talking to Workman. Since leaving Los Angeles, Workman has been working with SOSA (Safe From Online Sex Abuse), an organization devoted to fighting online predators. Workman has denied the allegations.
“Technically, yes, I’m a survivor. I’ve gone through some s--t," she says. "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. 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.”