Sofía Vergara is opening up about why she and Joe Manganiello decided to divorce after seven years of marriage.
via People:
In a new interview with Spanish newspaper El País, Vergara, 51, revealed that she and Manganiello, 47, weren’t on the same page when it came to expanding their family. She said the difference ultimately led to their divorce, which was confirmed by PEOPLE in July.
“My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids and I didn’t want to be an old mom,” the Griselda star explained. “I feel it’s not fair to the baby. I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore.”
Vergara, who shares son Manolo with ex-husband Joe Gonzalez, 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 [his own] children.”
“I’m almost in menopause; it’s the natural way of things,” she added. “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.”
In July, Vergara and Manganiello, 47, released a joint statement, saying that after seven years of marriage, they made the “difficult decision” to divorce.
“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.
Two days later, Manganiello filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the dissolution of the marriage, according to divorce documents obtained by PEOPLE. He listed the date of separation as July 2.
In the time since then, the pair have each moved on. Manganiello has been dating actress Caitlin O’Connor, while the Modern Family alum has been photographed on multiple dates over the past few months with orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman.
Vergara also been busy promoting Toty, her suncare brand that launched in June, and stars in Netflix’s new limited series Griselda. The six-episode drama, set to premiere Jan. 25 on Netflix, finds Vergara playing the title role of Griselda Blanco, a Colombian drug cartel leader known widely as “the Godmother.”
Speaking to El País about her new role, Vergara told the outlet: “Empowered women are trendy now, but 12 years ago when I was drawn to the story and wanted to produce it, not so much. That was precisely what appealed to me: that the boss was a woman who had to become worse than any man to be the best of them all.”
“Griselda was a very badass woman… Women are not saints, [they’re not] perfect. The interesting and complex thing is that this woman had children, friends, employees. She was loyal to some and implacable with others,” she continued. “She degenerated [as a result of] power, fear, ambition and insecurities. Just like a man. No more, no less.”
We applaud Sofia for staying true to herself.
