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Ariel Winter Reveals She Hasn’t Spoken to Her Mom in More Than Three Years

Not a word. During an interview with Good Morning America on Tuesday, March 1, Modern Family star Ariel Winter spoke candidly about the current status of her relationship with her estranged mother, Chrisoula Workman, and revealed that they haven’t spoken in over three years.

“I don’t [have a relationship with my mom],” Winter, 18, told GMA news anchor Amy Robach. “We haven’t spoken in three and a half years.”

As Us Weekly previously reported, Winter went through several years of legal battles with her mom over allegations that Workman emotionally and physically abused Winter as a child. Winter’s brother, Jimmy Workman, has denied those claims on behalf of their mother.

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“There is no truth to these allegations,” he told Us back in 2012.“This is a mother who does everything for her kids … Chris misses Ariel and wants her to come home.”

Ultimately, the teen actress emancipated herself from Workman in May 2015. Winter currently resides with her older sister Shanelle Gray, who acted as her permanent guardian from May 2014 until she turned 18 in January 2016.

Ariel Winter and Shanelle
Winter and her sister, Shanelle, arrive at the ‘Variety’ and Women in Film Annual Pre-Emmy Celebration in 2014.

“It’s really hard to have that kind of drama in your life and to be going through that court situation and have an open court case and have everybody look at it and have the media around you trying to paint different pictures,” she continued, adding: “It’s already hard enough for abuse victims, but it’s harder in the public eye when everybody has an opinion.”

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Winter, who said that her mother was “most definitely” a “stage mom,” also shared that while acting has become her passion, she isn’t sure she would have become a child star if given the choice.

Ariel Winter and Chrisoula Workman
Winter and Chrisoula Workman in 2012.

“I think that when I was born, it was kind of already decided what I was expected to be,” she explained. “And I was kind of pushed into the industry.”

In hopes of making a career change after high school graduation, Winter is applying to colleges — to become a social justice lawyer.

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“I’ve had a lot of life experience that I think has really helped me grow into the person I am today. I think it’s something that needed to happen for me to see what I needed to do in my future,” she said. “And it kind if shaped what I wanted to be in my future.” 

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