Ariel Winter Says She Hasn’t Spoken To Her Mother In More Than 3 Years

Ariel
Winter is embracing her independence.

The
“Modern Family” star turned 18 in January, but has been considered a
legal adult since May of 2015 when she became an emancipated minor.

In
an interview with “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, Ariel got candid
about the experience of growing up on television and making important decisions while navigating life in the spotlight.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/exclusive-ariel-winter-reveals-breast-reduction-changed-life-37298668

PHOTOS: ‘Modern Family’ Star Ariel Winter

“I
think it was a little shocking for me in the beginning,” she said of
finding fame at age 11 when the ABC comedy hit premiered in 2009.

Despite
the show’s massive success, Ariel revealed that she didn’t necessarily make the
choice to pursue acting.

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The
brunette told “GMA” she was “kind of pushed into the
industry” by her mother, Chrisoula Workman, whom she said she hasn’t
spoken to in three and a half years.

“I
think when I was born it was kind of already decided what I was expected to
be,” Ariel said of her upbringing.

When
asked if her mother fit the description of a “stage mom,” Ariel
agreed.

“She
most definitely was,” she said, but clarified that her current work focus
is all her own.

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“That’s
not to say I don’t love it and it’s not my passion now,” Ariel said of her
entertainment career, adding, “I [just] don’t know that if I had had my
own run to be able to decide what I wanted to do, if I would have.”

While
Ariel said the emancipation proceedings that took place between her and her
mother are “private family business,” she did touch upon the
difficulty of experiencing such personal turmoil in the public eye.

“It’s really hard to have that kind
of drama in your life and to be going through that tough situation and have an
open court case and have everyone look at it,” she said.

“At the end of the day, I feel like,
for me, I probably should take the high road,” she added.

More recently, Ariel stood up for herself
following criticism surrounding her appearance.

Last
June, she underwent a breast reduction to alleviate what she called the
“excruciating pain” of her voluptuous figure.

“I
couldn’t sit up straight,” Ariel said. “It was always super uncomfortable
for me to sleep, it was uncomfortable to sit, it was uncomfortable to
walk.”

The
distress wasn’t just physical, she explained.

PHOTOS: Stars Who’ve Gone Under The Knife

“Walking
down the red carpet and seeing the photos afterward and having every headline
be about my cleavage and not about my talent, and not about what I was really
there for or anything that I wanted to be put out there [for], and I thought
that was really disappointing,” she said.

Ultimately,
Ariel said, the procedure was the right thing to do.

“I
just didn’t feel right, and I did it for myself,” she said of the surgery,
adding, “It was the best change I ever made in my life.”

In
January, Ariel hit the Screen Actors Guild Awards in a strapless gown that
exposed her scars from the procedure, something she told the morning show she
hadn’t even given a second thought.

“It
really astounded me,” she said of the response, recalling comments she saw
that suggested she “put your scars away” because they’re
“gross.”

“I
think that’s just so ridiculous, considering they’re a part of me,” Ariel
said. “They’re not going away. … Scars are cool! They make us who we are.
We have stories from them.”

So
what’s ahead for the young star?

While
“Modern Family” has yet to be renewed for an eighth season, Ariel is
already setting her sights on a future beyond television.

According
to “GMA,” she’s currently in the process of applying for college with
aspirations of becoming a social justice lawyer.

— Erin Biglow

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