Beauty and the Beast? Well, more like Beauty and the Werewolf, but you get the point. And this sexy new couple can’t seem to keep their hands off each other. The recently announced couple has been spotted all over California and Florida, sharing lunches and intimate gatherings with close friends, and they aren’t shy with their PDAs.
When you put together two notorious sex symbols like Sophia Vergara and Joe Manganiello, the chemistry is bound to be palpable. She’s a voluptuous and wacky mom on the hit TV show Modern Family, and he’s a former “stripper” in Magic Mike and everyone’s favorite werewolf in True Blood. Both are known for their love of exercise, healthy eating and fantastic bodies. But it’s their personalities that have really kept the lovers together.
Vergara was born in Columbia in 1972. She was educated at a private bilingual Spanish/English school. She got married at the age of 18 to her childhood sweetheart, Joe Gonzalez. The two had a son together, but Sofia was too young to handle being a wife and mother and found herself divorced two years later.
She then went on to study pre-Dentistry at Colombia University. However, Sofía was discovered by a photographer at the beach, (go figure), and this led to various jobs in modeling and television. At age 23, she became a runway model.
From 1995 to 1998, she co-hosted a travel show, Fuera de serie, a travel series in which she visited exotic places around the world. It was telecast on the international Univisión Spanish-language television network and made her a star in the Latin American market. It also gave Vergara television exposure in the United States via the Univisión stations there. She co-hosted the Univisión show A que no te atreves (“I Dare You”) and appeared as a guest star in the season-four opening of the HBO series Entourage.
Beginning in 2007, Vergara played Alicia Oviedo in the television show Amas de Casa Desesperadas, the Colombian version of Desperate Housewives. She also appeared on the ABC drama Dirty Sexy Money as Jeremy Darling’s love interest. Her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, a sassy Latina on the hit show Modern Family, changed her career forever and has made her a household name in America.
Joseph Michael “Joe” Manganiello was born and raised in Pennsylvania in 1976. Growing up, he was the captain of his football, basketball, and volleyball teams and went on to play at the varsity level in all three sports. He won the role of Jud Fry in his school’s senior year production of Oklahoma!, and was involved with the school’s TV studio. He would borrow equipment to make films with his friends, and became interested in acting to become a better filmmaker.
He moved to Los Angeles, California after graduating from Carnegie Mellon. He quickly signed with a talent agent, and three days later, he auditioned for the role of Peter Parker in the Sam Raimi-directed film Spider-Man (2002). He landed the role of Eugene “Flash” Thompson, Peter Parker’s nemesis, as his first acting job out of college.
On the small screen, Manganiello landed recurring roles on ER and How I Met Your Mother. He also played Sophia Bush’s love interest on One Tree Hill. When he wasn’t acting, Manganiello sometimes served as a roadie for the rock group Goldfinger.
Manganiello’s career really took off later that year when he became a series regular on True Blood during its third season. He plays a werewolf named Alcide Herveaux on the show.
Manganiello was engaged to actress Audra Marie, whom he met at an event during the 2009 Super Bowl, but the marriage was never meant to be as Joe began having serious marriage reservations. The two split up and Joe enjoyed the bachelor lifestyle, even making People magazine’s list of The Hottest Bachelors. Little did the readers of People magazine know, Joe wasn’t going to be an available bachelor for much longer. He had his sights set on Sophia for awhile, and when the two met at the White House Press Correspondents Dinner in May, it became clear that the attraction was mutual and electric.
The two lovebirds are happy and seem to be a good match. Joe has met Sophia’s family (both her real and her TV Modern kind) and has passed the boyfriend test with flying colors. Will marriage be the next step? We think Sofia’s got the goods to keep this werewolf from completely freaking out this time around.
What does Joe look for in a woman? “Girls that do squats. I love a butt. Sofia Vergara, that’s it. She’s got that Latin thing going. She’s got the butt, she’s got the curves, she’s got a beautiful face, beautiful hair, just gorgeous. And she’s feisty!”
