Ariel Winter Workman grew up in Hollywood. Ariel first hit the scene at age five, in an exceedingly Cool Whip commercial. After various smaller roles, she landed the part of Alex Dunphy on Modern Family, in 2009, when she was just 11, playing the nerdy middle child during a quirky but close family, often acting because the grounding presence during a head-in-the-clouds bunch. 

In the real-world, Ariel's family life wasn't quite as picturesque. She moved in together with her sister, Shanelle Gray, when she was 14 and was legally emancipated from her mother who she's spoken about within the past a year later.

Ariel has said that her sister has been an overwhelmingly positive force in her life. It was Ariel's sister who first recommended she head to therapy, something Ariel says has changed the sport for her.

On April 8, Modern Family will air its final episode, closing an 11-year chapter in Ariel's life. The 22-year-old has played Alex Dunphy on the Emmy-winning show for exactly half her life. With over ten million viewers per episode, Ariel is incredibly recognizable as Alex; she is someone viewers think they know. She incorporates a dry sense of humor and a fast wit; she speaks fast and delivers punchlines with ease. In those ways, she's just like the character she plays on TV. But that's where the comparison stops.

Ariel seems cognizant of the balance between performing, what people think Ariel Winter is like, and truly being Ariel Winter: She's a wise, kind, and robust adult female who's developed a tegument over the years - but she's not untouchable. Ariel speaks easily and honestly. Ariel is now emerging from the safety of her long-running show as an adult, tasked with making her way within the world as a miss. She's still deciding what that may seem like.

Ariel's journey to being happier has been bumpy. She started taking antidepressants ages ago, but she struggled to search out the correct drug and dosage. Eventually, Ariel found that a coffee dose of three different medications was the key - they assist her feel happy and debar depression. As a result of switching medications, she also happened to lose 30 pounds. Ariel says the general public homed in on her weight loss, both shaming and praising her for it. Many, she says, even suggested she switched her medication to undertake too thin.