Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello were married for seven years, from 2015 to 2023, and in the “True Blood” actor’s new memoir, “Bloodlines,” releasing on October 13, he reflected on their relationship, including why they divorced.
Joe Manganiello Opens Up About Secret Illness
Manganiello also bravely discussed his health struggles, revealing he had fought an autoimmune illness in private for seven years, including while he was married to Vergara. His health was so poor that it led to “major organ amputation” and was a contributing factor in his divorce, People reports. “I can’t believe I’m alive,” Manganiello shared. “I feel like I was reborn.”
His health problems started when he was newly married to Vergara, with some of the symptoms including headaches, fever, rashes, fatigue, and “excruciating abdominal pain that left him unable to walk as his digestive tract ulcerated.” In addition to the incredible pain he was in, Manganiello lost 60 pounds and had an emergency surgery in 2016 to remove part of his colon, which left him with an ostomy bag.
“It happened to me, and it’s the truth, and I have all the scars to prove it,” Manganiello said. “[Autoimmune] conditions are a dumping ground for things [doctors] don’t understand. They start running you through this gauntlet of drugs.” He described how the initial medications did not work for pain relief, and he had to try alternative measures, which led him to question his 13 years of sobriety. “I didn’t feel like I deserved to say that I was sober, [but] I had to put the pain and the condition first,” he said, People reports.
Joe Manganiello Reveals End of His Marriage to Sofia Vergara
In his book, Manganiello addressed how his health impacted his relationship with Vergara, and he claims that their marriage had “become devoid of any emotionality whatsoever.” He said he did not feel supported, and addressed the speculation about why they did not have a child, which Vergara previously discussed in a 2024 interview with Spanish newspaper El País.
Her exact comments were, “My marriage broke up because my husband was younger. He wanted to have kids, and I didn’t want to be an old mom,” she told El País, Us Weekly reports. “I feel it’s not fair to the baby, I respect whoever does it, but that’s not for me anymore. I had a son at 19 … and I’m ready to be a grandmother, not a mother.”
Manganiello refutes this claim and says he did not want to have children because of his illness, People reports.
The couple reportedly had multiple failed IVF attempts and considered egg donors. However, Manganiello was concerned he would die and leave the “Modern Family” actress with a child “who wasn’t biologically hers.” He continued, “There were things said and printed about me that were false.”
Manganiello teased his memoir in an Instagram post on June 23. He shared a look at the cover, and in the caption he wrote, “BLOODLINES is my untold story of survival, documenting my near-decade-long struggle with a mysterious illness. My search for answers took me from death’s door, around the globe, and back through time, in the hopes of understanding why i suffered, and to find the strength to continue on.”
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Sofia Vergara’s Ex-Husband Joe Manganiello Bravely Reflects on His Secret Life-Threatening Illness