Hardships Sofía Vergara Faced Over The Years

Jan 05, 2021 by apost team

Although Sofia Vergara has had a broad and impactful career across a variety of genres, most fans know her from her 11-year run as the beautiful yet hilarious Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on ABC's groundbreaking Modern Family. While many might think of Hollywood stardom as a dream-filled lifestyle, where life is easy and the money flows, Vergara is proof that fame is not always the paradise it is cracked up to be. While her on-screen portrayal of Gloria showed a lighthearted romance with on-screen husband Jay –– played by Ed O'Neil –– her real-life hasn't always been as carefree.

In truth, Vergara's life has been marked by countless struggles, and happiness was never a given within the toils of her career and development. She commented on these life-long challenges to Parade Magazine in 2011:

 "I'm fearless...I don't complain. Even when horrible things happen to me, I go on."

The impetus of her career began in Colombia, her home country. According to Hola, Vergara was discovered at 17 on a beach in Barranquilla, after she was spotted by a photographer, who helped her kickstart her modeling career. The America's Got Talent judge made her big break in the 1990s after she starred as the Latin American face for Pepsi while still being a dentistry student. She eventually dropped out to focus on her modeling career and moved to Miami with her family, where she made her transition to the screen.

Vergara was always well aware that her fame could be short-lived. Hollywood is one of the most fickle industries in the world, and she was constantly reminded that she could lose it all with one false action. Even with four Emmys under her belt, her continued success was never guaranteed. Here are just a few reasons Sofia Vergara's life is a tragic one, even amidst the fame, fortune, and looks.

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Just as Vergara's career began to take off, tragedy hit the family when her 26-year-old brother, Rafael Jose Vergara, was murdered on the streets of Bogota. While authorities never solved the murder, private investigator Marcos Rubio claimed the death was likely connected to a local drugpin boss. The harrowing tragedy prompted Vergara and her family to move to the United States towards the end of the '90s. In a 2011 interview, Vergara called the entire experience "a nightmare." Understandably, she has never fully recovered from the shock.

"Mother was like a zombie," she added. "I wanted to be with them. So I got a big house and we all lived together. I am so grateful to be in this country."

Despite these efforts, Vergara was never able to escape the impacts of her brother's murder. Sadly, various tabloids decided to reopen old wounds by rehashing these painful stories. A particularly gruesome account was published in 2013 by National Enquirer. Within this piece, the author claimed to have uncovered new details about Rafael's death. However, the story was far from helpful, and the actress said it served only to dredge up pain and suffering that had just started to heal. Vergara rebuked the article and attacked the author publicly on Twitter. She wrote: "This is not news. This is disrespectful. We know everything we need to know about my brother's death."

Her brother's passing is far from the only struggle to plague Vergara's life. At just 28 years old, she was diagnosed with cancer. During an appointment for her son in 2000, Manolo's doctor glanced at Vergara and suggested she have her thyroid checked. This doctor's insightful observation may just have saved her life, as the actor was diagnosed with thyroid cancer shortly thereafter.

 "I've never done drugs or smoked. And I don't eat red meat," Vergara said. "I felt totally healthy, and suddenly they tell me I have cancer? I was scared. I immediately thought of my child."

Vergara underwent surgery to remove the tumor and attended radiotherapy. She eventually recovered but developed hypothyroidism in the process. Although this event shocked many, Vergara has never tried to hide the struggle. Instead, she has become a leading spokesperson attempting to educate people about hyperthyroidism's dangers and symptoms through her Follow the Script, which she launched in 2013. 

During the campaign's launch, Vergara spoke frankly to reporters, saying, 

"I got rid of the cancer and then for me it was, 'Oh shoot, now I have to live with this condition my whole life...I have to be on medication my whole life and I don't have a thyroid.'"

These health struggles have been for nothing, as it prompted Vergara to focus on her health. 

"You shouldn't do too much of anything — that could mean working out, that could mean dieting like crazy," she stated. "You have to live your life and be happy because I think being happy and not stressing all the time also helps you. You know, having your good times and being healthy."

Most fans of Sofia Vergara are familiar with her ex-husband, Jose Gonzalez. Despite her divorce from her son Manolyo's father, Vergara has maintained a positive relationship with Jose. According to Oprah Mag, Gonzalez often stays at Vergara's house during his frequent visits to the United States, and the two have made co-parenting of their son a priority.

"[He was] my high school sweetheart, the only one," she told Parade. "We married and had a son, Manolo." 

However, Gonzalez isn't the only man from Vergara's past. She has another former lover that she keeps her distance from – Chris Paciello, a convicted felon.

Paciello, or Christian Ludwigsen as he was born, found his success as a prominent businessman on the Miami club scene during the mid to late 1990s. He was often spotted hob-knobbing with the who's who of the Miami club life, including P-Diddy and Madonna. Vergara was not his only famous hookup, either. Paciello has had romantic entanglements with models Niki Taylor, Madonna, and Daisy Fuentes. However, he told Vanity Fair in 2007 that Vergara was his "most serious relationship." The actor was even present at the courthouse when Paciello was arrested for racketeering, felony murder, and grand theft.

The two had already parted ways by the time he was charged, but they maintained a friendship, and Vergara was sporadically spotted frequenting his clubs, notably Story in 2013. Vergara's then-fiance, actor Nick Loeb, was caught fighting with the patrons at a nearby table one night at the club. Tabloids like the Daily Mail speculated the fight was related to his dissatisfaction with Vergara's friendship with Paciello, although none of the parties involved ever confirmed that theory. The couple announced they had broken off their engagement soon after the incident.

After Vergara moved her family to the United States for their protection, the struggles weren't over. Vergara shared with Parade that "after Rafael died, Julio had a rough time." Julio attended college in the United States, but according to Vergara, "he wasn't ready. He started with alcohol there, then pot, on to cocaine, to crack." 

The actor has been candid about her heartbreak in watching her brother deteriorate. She said: 

 "Now he's like another person. To see somebody dying over 10 years, little by little, that's the worst punishment."

Ultimately, Julio was deported back to Colombia in 2011 after run-ins with the police, where his sister made sure he received the care he needed to overcome his addiction. 

To a casual observer, it may seem as if Vergara's fame came overnight. Indeed, if Modern Family were your only exposure to the star, this would be an easy mistake to make. Her accent is now somewhat of a trademark for the actor, but it was an ever-present impediment early in her career. In 2010, she told The Hollywood Reporter: 

"You can't compare the opportunities you get to an American-accented actress. When they get 10 scripts a week, I get two a month."

She even noted that the accent became harmful to her acting, saying, "My auditions were getting worse because I was forgetting to act and focusing on the pronunciations." Thankfully, ABC president Steve McPherson saw the potential in Vergara and continued to keep her on board. Even after two failed attempts at shows, Hot Properties (2005) and Knights of Prosperity (2007), he continued to give the actor work. Finally, his loyalty paid off; In 2009, Vergara was cast to play Gloria Pritchett in the hit series, Modern Family. 

Over its ten year run on television, Modern Family became one of the most beloved sitcoms of our times. During this time, Vergara enjoyed much success, earning four Emmy nominations, hosted Saturday Night Live, and becoming one of today's highest-paid TV actors. Yet despite her enormous success, Vergara insists she hasn't forgotten her roots. 

In a 2018 interview with Dujour, the actor revealed becoming divorced and a single mother in her early twenties pushed her to find work to provide the best life she could for her son. 

 "When you're single and you have a kid, you worry. You worry everyday, you wake up and if you don't have enough money to pay for his medical insurance, for his food, for someone to help with him while you work, a nanny," Vergara said. "That drove me to never be lazy, [not fear] failure and always try to create opportunities for myself. I think that helped me [with] the motivation and [to] keep me walking straight."

Her love life has improved too. After countless shaky romances, she has finally found true love with True Blood actor Joe Manganiello, whom she married in 2015. 

"There's nothing about him I'd change other than the fact that he's four years younger than me," she told Vanity Fair. The two hope to spend the rest of their lives together and expand the family. She said, "Joe wants babies and if it's going to make him super-happy, then..."

From her time as a young actress through her more recent success, Sofia Vergara has overcome her fair share of obstacles. Are you surprised by any part of Vergara's history? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to ask your friends and family what they think.