“Modern Family” bombshell Sofía Vergara is home in LA after living it up in Italy’s searing heat — at the same time news broke of her split from “Magic Mike” hunk Joe Manganiello, according to friends.
One gave Pvnew a telling glimpse into the marriage, saying: “Sofia’s living her best life. She’s spending time with her friends after being stifled in a relationship with a largely unsupportive partner.
“Sofía was always there to take care of Joe, while his career was never what it was when they met. I think he’s been threatened by her success and joie de vivre.”
Vergara celebrated her 51st birthday at some of Italy’s most exclusive spots, from Capri to Ravello, with her best friends in tow, posting every Michelin-starred meal and cup of gelato online (as well as touting her sunscreen and beauty range, Toty, to her 30 million followers).
But mid-vacation, Pvnew revealed that this was also her first trip as a single lady after splitting from husband Joe Manganiello, 46, after seven years of marriage.
In a joint statement, the couple told Pvnew this week: “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.”
However, it’s not all been smooth sailing following the announcement.
Reports soon claimed that the Manganiello’s longtime sobriety had impacted their marriage because Vergara, who’s currently a judge on NBC hit “America’s Got Talent,” is not sober — which multiple sources told Pvnew is not the case.
One friend who is close to both Vergara and Manganiello told us: “Joe is fully secure and at one with his sobriety, and while sobriety is a continuous practice, his ongoing commitment to being sober was never in any way threatened by being married to someone who drinks responsibly. It’s a pathetic attempt to come up with an excuse.”
Manganiello has hired celebrity divorce shark Laura Wasser and was the first to file for divorce this week, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.
The date of separation is listed as July 2; however, the couple has been living separate lives for a “very, very long time,” multiple sources told Pvnew.
The mutual friend said that the marriage was fueled by “physical chemistry, though also a lot of loyalty and respect. Neither of them cheated. They very much did their own thing for large stretches of time and were frequently apart, but they were always able to still feel that passion for each other when they saw each other, but that flame has now gone out.
“Sofía seems to be doing absolutely fine — she has all the time and the money in the world to do whatever she wants next,” the mutual friend added. “Joe seems a little more dejected but also resolute in knowing this was the right way to go.
“A lot of friends expect that he will ultimately move on to someone far younger and will start a family; he’s always wanted kids, and that clearly wasn’t going to happen with Sofía.”
Multiple sources confirm that Manganiello’s desire for children was the main cause of their breakup.
Vergara gave birth to her only child, son Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, now 31, in Colombia in 1991.
At the time, she was 19 years old and married to her high school sweetheart Joe Gonzalez, although they split two years later.
“I was really young when I divorced his father, so I raised him trying to set the best example and give him the best that I could,” the actress told People magazine in 2016.
The source added: “Sofía came from a small town in Columbia and worked her way into the success that she earned. Nothing was easy for Sofia.
“Her older brother Rafael was murdered, she had a kid at 19 and she left her home country and started out with nothing, eventually becoming the highest-paid actor on TV and one of the most famous Latinos in Hollywood.
Vergara was discovered on a beach in Columbia and, at age 17, she was chosen to star in a Pepsi commercial in Latin America.
Vergara divorced Gonzalez in 1993, then dropped out of dental school and moved to Bogotá. She was soon in demand as a model, landing a starring role in the Mexican telenovela “Acapulco, cuerpo y Alma.”
Soon, other networks took notice and Vergara said she was “ecstatic” when, in 1994, Univision asked her to host a travel show based in Miami.
In Miami, Vergara reportedly dated gang member Chris Paciello, a onetime darling of the South Beach nightclub scene who was linked to Madonna, and had a fling with former Colombian drug lord Andrés López López.
Vergara moved to the US following the death of her older brother Rafael, who was fatally shot in an attempted kidnapping.
“My older brother, Rafael, was killed in Colombia,” she told Parade magazine in 2011. “A nightmare. … Mother was like a zombie. I wanted to be with them, so I got a big house [in Miami, Florida] and we all lived together. I am so grateful to be in this country.”
She added: “With so many bad things happening, it creates a tough skin. You just have to take a deep breath and keep on going — if not for yourself, then for everybody you love.”
Vergara remains extremely close to Manolo, who studied film production at Emerson College in Boston. He also has his own dog-accessory brand, Canini by Baguette.
But the actress went through what one friend termed an “IVF nightmare scenario” with entrepreneur ex Nick Loeb.
She was dragged into a lengthy court battle over custody of two frozen embryos from 2013 IVF treatments with then-fiancé Loeb, who sought to implant them into a surrogate.
A judge ultimately ruled in the actress’ favor in March 2021.
She wed Manganiello in a lavish, star-studded wedding in Palm Beach in November 2015 after just six months of dating.
Contacted this week, Loeb — a film producer and winemaker — told Pvnew: “I see now it’s a PR war between her and Joe … I pray for Sofía and Joe both and wish them both to find peace and happiness.”
Vergara is now worth nearly $200 million, and court filings show she and Manganiello had a prenup to protect each of them.
Pittsburgh-born Manganiello has been filming his new comedy “Nonnas” alongside Vince Vaughn and Susan Sarandon in Hoboken, NJ, while Vergara — who arrived home to LA to be greeted with floral bouquets from supportive friends — will be shortly filming the live shows for “AGT,” which start on August 22.
A source close to Manganiello said: “They have always been supportive of each other and continue to be.”
The mutual friend agreed, adding, “Sofía and Joe will both be completely fine but … absolutely no one expects their circles to continue to overlap or for there to be any real continuing friendship. “
