Sofía Vergara Opens Up About Her Public Divorce from Joe Manganiello: 'You Can't Hide Those Things'

Sofía Vergara is getting candid about going through a public divorce from Joe Manganiello. 

The America’s Got Talent judge, 51, revealed in an interview on CBS Sunday Morning that she had expected the media whirlwind that came when the news broke about the couple’s split in June 2023.

“You’re out there [in the public eye] and people know that's part of being a celebrity,” Vergara shared. “I knew it was gonna happen. You can’t hide those things.”

When asked how she “overcame” the public scrutiny around their divorce, the actress attributed herself being able to get through it, thanks in part, to the type of media coverage it got.

“It wasn't bad,” she said. “I think, you know, I have to say the press was very respectful and very nice. And I thought that they were gonna invent more things, and you know how it usually is.”

“I was surprised and, you know, they, they kind of just said what it was and, and that was it,” she added.

The couple released a joint statement in July saying that after seven years of marriage, they made the “difficult decision” to divorce. "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,” they wrote. 

Two days after they released the statement, Manganiello filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the dissolution of the marriage, according to divorce documents obtained by PEOPLE. He listed the date of separation as July 2.

After getting through that rough patch, Vergara said she’s been able to really shift her focus on living her best life in the present and future. “And, you know, I've been moving on,” she said in the interview.

The Modern Family alum has been photographed on multiple dates over the past few months with orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman. Manganiello has also been dating actress Caitlin O'Connor.

Despite what she called an “interesting” and “difficult” 2023, the actress noted to PEOPLE in an interview in November that she was “excited” to see what the new year would bring.

"I’m excited for the TV show that is coming,” she said referring to her Netflix limited series Griselda. “I’m excited for [skincare brand] Toty, which has been doing really well since we started and people are loving it because it’s such a good quality product.”

She also teased that there's more on the way, saying, “I have a lot of projects for next year that hopefully people will love as well.”