Sofia Vergara is said to be “living her best life” in the wake of her split from actor Joe Manganiello.
The ‘Modern Family’ actress, 51, got hitched to 46-year-old Manganiello in a lavish, star-studded Palm Beach ceremony in November 2015 in front of 400 guests, but the couple have said they are making the “difficult” decision to split.
An insider told Page Six about Vergara’s life after the split: “Sofia’s living her best life. She’s spending time with her friends after being stifled in a relationship with a largely unsupportive partner.
“Sofía was always there to take care of Joe, while his career was never what it was when they met. I think he’s been threatened by her success and joie de vivre.”
Vergara and Manganiello said in a statement about their split: “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.”
Vergara, who has a 31-year-old son named Manolo with first husband Joe Gonzalez, is currently celebrating her 51st birthday in Italy with friends, without Manganiello or her wedding ring, according to Page Six.
A source told the outlet: “Sofía and Joe have been growing apart for a while now and are taking some distance from each other to contemplate their future.”
The couple was last seen together last month in Hoboken, New Jersey, as Vergara visited actor Manganiello on the set of his new project ‘Nonnas’.
Vergara has since posted a string of sexy selfies online as she lives it up on her extended birthday bash.
One of her captions said: “When life gives u lemons u come to Italy to squeeze them.”
Another source told Page Six: “At the start of Sofia’s big birthday trip those close to her were explaining away Joe’s absence with the excuse that he was busy filming back on the East Coast; that excuse barely held up due to the writers strike, but once the actor’s strike took effect, he could have been on the first flight… and he quite clearly is not.
“So now no one out there with her is even attempting to pretend that it’s not over. It’s over. It’s done.”
Celebrity guests at the pair’s wedding included Vergara’s ‘Modern Family’ co-stars Ariel Winter, Ed O’Neill, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Julie Bowen, Sarah Hyland and Ty Burrell, as well as Manganiello’s ‘True Blood’ co-stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer.
Reese Witherspoon and Channing Tatum were also in attendance.
The pair met through the actress’ former co-star Jesse Tyler at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in 2014, when she was engaged to businessman Nick Loeb.
Manganiello asked for the actress’ number a few weeks later when she split with Loeb.
He told People magazine in 2020: “I knew pretty quickly that I could trust her, and she knew pretty quickly that she could trust me.
“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.”