Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello.Photo: Getty Images North America
Once upon a time, PEOPLE helped two love birdsSofía VergaraandJoe Manganiellofind their wings.
On Monday, the couple announced they were going their separate ways afterseven years of marriage. Despite theirdecision to divorce, PEOPLE once played a hand in bringing the two together.
Back in July 2014, Manganiellogushed over Vergara’s beautywhile covering our Hottest Bachelors issue and named her as his celebrity crush. At the time, theModern Familystar was engaged to fiancé Nick Loeb, though they called off their engagement later that year. She and Manganiello began dating soon after and tied the knot in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2015.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
“You’re gonna get me in trouble. I don’t want to be like a home-wrecker. This person is engaged,” he said of Vergara. “She’s got the curves, she’s got a beautiful face, beautiful hair, just gorgeous. Naturally beautiful. She’s feisty!”
“There was a picture someone snapped at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner where they caught me looking at Sofía Vergara’s butt,” he recalled at the time. “When you talk about being manipulated, that’s what I’m talking about. It’s like a moment of Zen. There is nothing in my brain. If only I could meditate that well. I don’t go after other people’s women. She’s got a guy. If she was single, I would be like, poof!”
Joe Manganiello & Sofia Vergara.David Crotty/Patrick McMullan
David Crotty/Patrick McMullan
That wasn’t the first time Manganiello opened up about his first interaction with his soon-to-be former wife. During an appearance on SiriusXM’sThe Jess Cagle Show, theMagic Mike’s Last Dancestar revealed that he “could not take my eyes off her” when the two met at the dinner.
He recalled following her “around all night” until herModern FamilycostarJesse Tyler Fergusonnoticed that she had a fan and introduced him to Vergara.
Though their conversation remained casual and consisted of exchanging “pleasantries,” things changed around three weeks later after the actress announced her split from Loeb.
Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara.Joe Manganiello/Instagram
“I hit up Jesse Tyler Ferguson and said, ‘Hey man, was she broken up with the guy at the time?’ He said, ‘Yeah, I wouldn’t have tried to pull anything if that wasn’t the case.’ I said, ‘Man, well, I don’t know what kind of emotional state she’s in, but tell her I want to take her out,'” Manganiello explained.
Ferguson gave Manganiello Vergara’s phone number later that evening “and the rest is history.”
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In a statement shared withPage Six, the couple confirmed their plans to part ways following online speculation the two were on the rocks after Vegara was spotted in Italy without her wedding ring.
“We have made the difficult decision to divorce,” they said. “As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect for our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives.”
source: people.com
