Modern Family’s Ariel Winter ‘Left L.A.’ After Traumatic Childhood

Former Modern Family star Ariel Winter has moved on from her childhood, literally and figuratively.

Winter, 27, portrayed Alex Dunphy on the ABC sitcom from 2009 to 2020. When the show ended, she realized she was no longer tethered to Los Angeles.

“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?’” she explained to People in a story published Wednesday, May 7. “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.”

When Modern Family wrapped in April of 2020, she and her boyfriend, Luke Benward, left the city for a quieter life with their six dogs. It’s a far cry from the constant public scrutiny and trying family relationships that came to define her childhood in L.A.

Winter accused her mom, Chrisoula Workman, of physical and emotional abuse during her Modern Family days, leading to her sister, Shanelle Gray, becoming her legal guardian in 2012. Workman has denied all allegations of abuse.

“I went on to have a great rest of my teenage years thanks to being under her custody,” Winter reflected.

Winter also opened up about the public scrutiny she endured around her image as she grew up.

“It was just everywhere,” she said. “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 slut. I mean, I was 14. It totally damaged my self-esteem.”

“I understood what it was like to be hated,” she added. “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.’”

Winter has called herself “a victim of grooming online and IRL and CSA [child sex abuse],” and is now hoping to help other victims. She has partnered with SOSA (Safe From Online Sex Abuse) to teach victims about the benefits of rescue dogs.

“Technically, yes, I’m a survivor. I’ve gone through some s***,” she said. “But a lot of people have gone through some s***. 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.”