Julie Bowen shares message of support for newly ‘single’ Sofia Vergara amid divorce from Joe Manganiello

Sofia Vergara has been given a confidence boost from her Modern Family co-star Julie Bowen, after announcing her divorce from husband Joe Manganiello.

Vergara, 51, and Manganiello, 46, issued a statement through their representatives on Monday (17 July), saying that they have “made the difficult decision to divorce” after seven years of marriage.

On Tuesday (18 July), the Colombian-American star shared a series of photographs of herself in a blue leopard-print swimsuit while on holiday in Italy.

Bowen, 53, left an encouraging comment for her co-star, writing: “This is what single and [fire emoji] looks like!!!”

Vergara and Bowen starred as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett and Claire Dunphy respectively in the much-loved US sitcom, which ran from 2009 to 2020.

In Vergara and Manganiello’s statement to Page Six this week, the couple said: “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.”

The Chef star recently celebrated her 51^st birthday in Italy, as she appears to be travelling with a group of friends. Manganiello has been absent from her holiday snaps.

The True Blood actor did, however, mark Vergara’s birthday with a pixelated throwback photograph of the two together. In the caption, he wrote simply: “Feliz Cumpleaños Sofía!”

The post had fans speculaing over whether there was trouble in the couple’s marriage, with some claiming the actor should have written a more “loving” tribute to his wife.

Vergara and Manganiello met in 2014 while attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. They began dating the following year while Vergara was filming Hot Pursuit, and were married by November 2015.

Previously, Vergara revealed she was reluctant to go on a first date with the Magic Mike star because he was “too handsome”.

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! just months before her wedding, Vergara said: “I had just broken up with my ex [Nick Loeb]. I didn’t want to go into a relationship with somebody that… I thought he was going to be too much work, because girls were throwing themselves at him.

“I’m like, ‘Ay! No! Please, I want somebody normal’… I’ve seen it. Girls don’t care. I mean, have you seen him? I understand. I don’t judge them.”

In 2018, Manganiello opened up about their marriage and told Cigar Aficionado: “She was it for me. People say things like, ‘Marriage and relationships are work’. But it’s not. Life is hard. Having somebody to help you deal with it is the greatest thing that ever happened.”