Sofia Vergara has elaborated on the reasons behind her and Joe Manganiello's divorce

Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscars Party
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello announced their separation last year, after seven years of marriage, and a decade-long relationship.

"We have made the difficult decision to divorce," read their joint statement to Page Six in 2023. "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.”

Sofia Vergara, 51, opened up about their divorce this year in an interview with El País, explaining the reason behind the couple's break up.

"I'm newly divorced from my second husband, who I was with for 10 years," she explained. "My marriage broke up because my husband was younger. He wanted to have kids and I didn't want to be an old mom. I feel it's not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that's not for me anymore."

She continued: "I had a son at 19, who is now 32, and I'm ready to be a grandmother, not a mother. So, if love comes along, he has to come with children."

"I'm almost in menopause," she later added. "It's the natural way of things. 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."

This week, Vergara elaborated on the decision in an interview with People, for its "Beautiful Issue", stating: "There's things in life that might sound like good ideas, but they're not. I was a mother already. I know what it means to be a good mother or to try to be the best mother that you can, and that takes a lot of sacrifices, takes a lot of energy."

"I totally respect where anyone wants to be a mom after 50," she later continued. "[But] I didn't think because of my career, the way I live my life, the way my marriage was, that it was fair to bring a kid to this world, and I'm not going to be able to give 100 percent."

We will continue to update this story.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.