Sofia Vergara

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Modern Family star Sofia Vergara plays a matron of a blended family on TV but the Colombian actress is also one in real life. Vergara married her childhood sweetheart at 18 and became a mother at 20 with the birth of her son Monolo. She was a single mother at 21 but continued to pursue a career in entertainment. In 2010, Vergara and Manolo were featured in a milk ad. They joke frequently about being mistaken for siblings or boyfriend and girlfriend. The popular actress is also a spokesperson for CoverGirl and has her own line of clothing for K-Mart.

According to Wikipedia, Vergara was born in Colombia on July 10, 1972 and raised in a Catholic upper class family with five siblings. She attended a bilingual school, which allowed her to learn English at a young age. Vergara planned to become a dentist but found modeling to be very lucrative. Her natural blonde hair and hazel eyes made her a popular swimsuit model before she focused on acting. Vergara later became a brunette when she left modeling behind because casting directors did not want to cast a blonde in a Latina role.

Vergara moved to the United States in 1999 with her mother, son and sister. A year later she was diagnosed by chance with thyroid cancer but was able to make a full recovery. Vergara’s first American films with Tyler Perry made her popular with American audiences, leading to her casting in Modern Family. In 2009 she also appeared in a revival of the musical Chicago.

In July, she reportedly got engaged to boyfriend Nick Loeb.