Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello at the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscars Party.Photo:Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Three summers ago,Joe Manganiellocouldn’t help but gush about why he decided to marrySofía Vergara.
Years before the couple announcedtheir decision to divorcefollowing seven years of marriage, Manganiello, 46, opened up to PEOPLE about why he and Vergara, 51, clicked.
“I knew pretty quickly that I could trust her, and she knew pretty quickly that she could trust me,” Manganiello said in 2020. “And we’re both the kind of people who are capable of putting the other person ahead of ourselves. I was capable of putting her wishes ahead of mine, whatever they were, and she was capable of doing the same. Once you have that, you don’t let go of it.”
Vergara had been engaged toNick Loebat the time, but called off her engagement weeks after the event, prompting Manganiello to ask Ferguson, 47, for the actress’s number.
“My instincts about her were right,” Manganiello said.
Joe Manganiello and Sofía Vergara.Barry King/Getty
Barry King/Getty
TheTrue Bloodalum flew to New Orleans, where Vergara had been filmingHot Pursuit, to take her on their first date.
“I said, ‘I’m coming to New Orleans. If you’re not available, I’m just gonna do some sightseeing, but I’m gonna be there and if you’re freeI can take you out,'” Manganiello said onThe Jess Cagle Showin 2020. “She said, ‘You’re crazy.’ I said, ‘I’ll see you next week.'”
Manganielloproposed toVergara in December 2014, and theytied the knot the following November.
“Sofia had never seenMad Men, which I saw every episode of and was obsessed with, so we went through all ofMad Men,” Manganiello said to PEOPLE. “Then she had never seenThe Sopranosand I was like, ‘That’s the greatest show that’s ever been made that kicked off all of the great cable shows. It paved the way. You have to see these.’ So I watchedThe Sopranosagain. She thought it was brilliant.”
In June, Manganiello and Vergara put their the seven-bedroom, 11-bathroomBeverly Hills home on the marketfor a second time in less than a year with an asking price of $18 million.
Last week, Vergara embarked on a trip to Italy with friends to celebrate her 51st birthday. Based on Vergara’s Instagram posts from the vacation, Manganiello did not attend with her, butposted“¡¡¡Feliz Cumpleaños Sofía!!!” on July 10 for her birthday.
Sofia Vergara in Italy.sofiavergara/Instagram
sofiavergara/Instagram
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
On Monday, sources confirmed to PEOPLE that the pair were planning to divorce. The couple also confirmed the news in a joint statement toPage Six.
“We have made the difficult decision to divorce,” Manganiello and Vergara said. “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 announcement came just days after Vergara seemingly hinted at relationship trouble on Instagram. “When life gives u lemons u come to Italy to squeeze them😚❤️☀️🇮🇹 " shewrote beside a photo of herselfon her Italian getaway.
source: people.com
