'Modern Family' star Hyland has kidney transplant

Associated Press
FILE - In this Saturday, March 31, 2012 file photo, actress Sarah Hyland arrives at Nickelodeon's 25th Annual Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles. The "Modern Family" star has had a kidney transplant in April 2012, she told ABC's "Good Morning America" for a report that aired May 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — "Modern Family" star Sarah Hyland has had a kidney transplant after a lifetime of pain and fatigue.

The 21-year-old actress, who plays big-eyed teenager Haley Dunphy on the hit ABC comedy, told ABC's "Good Morning America" for a report aired Monday that she had the surgery in April,

At age 9, she was diagnosed with abnormal kidney development. The condition often left her exhausted or in pain. But as her health grew worse, she began seeking an organ donor. Her father, actor Edward James Hyland, was a match.

She says she tells her dad, "It's weird — I've got your kidney in me."

Hyland plans to spend the show's summer hiatus recovering from her surgery.

Her secret struggle is also reported in the current issue of Seventeen magazine.