Following a lengthy and well-documented custody battle, Ariel Winter, the 17-year-old star of the hugely popular Modern Family, has officially become an emancipated minor.
Winter has been in the care of her sister Shanelle Gray since 2012, when the Department of Children and Family Services found evidence that her mother had been emotionally abusive.
The teenager, who plays Alex Dunphy on the series, took to Twitter yesterday to announce the decision, and thank her family and supporters:
I am now officially emancipated!!! I’m really lucky I have an amazing support system and lovely people in my life… http://t.co/lJtlpGoEYc
— Ariel Winter (@arielwinter1) May 15, 2015
“I’m really lucky I have an amazing support system and lovely people in my life who have given me the support and guidance to have been given this wonderful opportunity,” she said.
Winter also thanked her sister and father for their support, adding “I can’t wait to embark on my new adventures.” Last weekend, the actress posted an Instagram tribute to her sister on Mother’s Day.
Winter’s Modern Family co-star Sofia Vergara is currently engaged in a legal battle with her ex-fiance Nick Loeb, who wants to keep two frozen embryos from their relationship.
The embryos were conceived via IVF in 2013, but Vergara and Loeb split in 2014. The matter is ongoing.
via Time
Photo: Jason Merritt via Getty Images
