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July 2023 marked one of the most unexpected celebrity break-ups.
After just less than eight years of seemingly loved-up marriage, actor Sofia Vergara announced that she and hubby Joe Manganiello had called it quits.
The announcement came as a shock to many followers of their beautiful love story, with both Sofia, 51, and Joe, 47, repeatedly having gushed over one another during celebrity interviews in the past.
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Speaking on Live With Kelly and Mark a few weeks after confirming their relationship in 2014, Modern Family star Sofia - famed for playing glamorous yet hilariously-timed Gloria Pritchett in the much-loved sitcom - teased: "He's very hot.
"He's a great guy, he's very funny, and he's very entertaining, which is very important for me, because, I need to be with somebody that knows how to have fun, because I like to have fun."
And talking to People back in 2020,True Blood star Joe claimed he knew upon meeting Sofia that she was the woman he wanted to spend his life with.
"I knew pretty quickly that I could trust her, and she knew pretty quickly that she could trust me," he opened up.
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"And we’re both the kind of people who are capable of putting the other person ahead of ourselves.
"I was capable of putting her wishes ahead of mine, whatever they were, and she was capable of doing the same. Once you have that, you don't let go of it."
In July last year, however, the couple announced they were forced to make a 'difficult decision' and had gone their separate ways.
"As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect for our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives," they wrote in a joint statement.
And Sofia - who'll be appearing in Netflix's new crime drama Griselda later this week - has now lifted the lid on the real reason she and her ex-hubby part ways last year.
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Speaking to El País, the mother-of-one revealed that she and Joe wanted different things when it came to the prospect of having a child together.
"My marriage broke up because my husband was younger," she admitted. "He wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom."
Sofia - who welcomed her now 32-year-old son Manolo with her first husband aged 19 - went on: "I feel it’s not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore.
"I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother. So, if love comes along, he has to come with [his own] children."
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"I’m almost in menopause; it’s the natural way of things," Sofia continued.
"When my son becomes a dad, let him bring the baby to me for a while and then I’ll give it back to him and go on with my life; that’s what I have to do."
Featured Image Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesTopics: Celebrity, Sex and Relationships