Sofia Vergara’s ex-husband Joe Manganiello hits back at her 'untrue' divorce claims

Sofia Vergara’s ex-husband Joe Manganiello has hit back at his former partner's claims about their divorce, and explained why he thinks they split.

Vergara has spoken very openly about the reasons she thought her seven-year marriage to Joe Manganiello came to an end in July 2023.

The divorce was one of the most-talked about yet unexpected relationship breakdowns of the year, but it turns out the pair are not in agreement about why it ended.

In court documents, they gave ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the reason for the split.

But in a candid interview with Spanish newspaper El País, she opened up about what really went wrong… at least how she sees it.

The pair have very different reasons for the split. (Cindy Ord/VF23/Getty Images for Vanity Fair)

Discussing elements of her personal life, the 51-year-old Colombian actress said: “I am a recently divorced woman.

“My marriage broke down because my husband was younger, wanted to have children, and I didn’t want to be an old mom.

“I feel it’s not fair to the baby.”

Despite her ex-husband being only four years younger than her, she felt a real difference in what they both wanted.

She continued: “That’s not for me anymore.

“I had a child at 19, and I’m ready to embrace the role of a grandmother, not a mother.”

Despite the challenges that come with any divorce, whether that be in or away from scrutiny and the spotlight, Sofia has shared that she was resilient and positive from the get go.

She said: “Colombians go through so many terrible things, and we always know how to see the cheerful side of life because otherwise, we couldn’t live.”

However, her former partner Joe has said he didn’t appreciate being painted out to have had a ‘midlife crisis’.

In a tell-all interview with Men's Journal, he spoke about the reasons he thought that the relationship came to an end.

The ex-couple got married in 2015. (Carlos Alvarez/WireImage)

The American actor said: “There's been a lot said in the press about me wanting a family, that’s simply not true.

“We did try to have a family for the first year and a half.

“And we had a huge conversation right out of the gate during the first month we dated.

“I said, ‘If you're done with kids, then I understand. Just tell me, and I'll know what this is, and that's okay.’

“But that wasn't the case with her.

“And I swore to her that I would never leave if it didn't work out.

“And I didn't.”

Joe revealed he was frustrated by how his character had been portrayed in the media.

He said: “To be painted as if I had some sort of midlife crisis, and after nine years, turned to somebody and gave them an ultimatum of, ‘Do this potentially unhealthy thing to your body, or else I'm gone’?

“That’s never who I was.”

When asked about what he thought the reason for the marriage break down was, he said that ‘two people grew apart, and sometimes that happens’.