They rarely pose together on red carpets or on social media, but Sofía Vergara (53) and her sister Sandra (37) love each other madly. Although they are actually first cousins, the parents of the Modern Family star - Julio Enrique Vergara and Margarita Vergara - adopted her when she was just a month old.
Sandra's biological mother suffered serious brain damage, making her unable to raise a baby. Sofía and Sandra, who are 16 years apart, grew up in their native Barranquilla until Sofía decided to move to the United States.
Sandra's childhood and adolescence were quite traumatic: besides feeling like a burden to her aunt, she had to deal with the murder of her brother, started experimenting with substances at a very young age, and at 16, she was close to death due to septic shock from appendicitis.
After turning 18, she moved to Los Angeles to her sister's mansion. To make a living, she started working as a makeup artist while pursuing opportunities in the entertainment industry. She once told HuffPost that it was at Sofía's home where she began "to take off and choose what she wanted to do. And that's why, I am grateful to her for everything."
At 24, she landed a job as a model and felt fulfilled, but personally, she was going through hell with her first serious partner "where there were so many emotional and psychological abuses that I thought the only way to cope was to drink every day (...)."
"I kept thinking that drinking was like a tool to cope with the situation for many days, but it kept me trapped and locked in the cage until it stopped working," she admitted on the podcast A Sober Girls Guide with Jessica Jeboult.
For that reason, she returned to Colombia for rehabilitation and started following the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. After recovering, she returned to Los Angeles, ended the relationship, and found spiritual support in Kabbalah to help her rebuild from within.
One day, she gathered strength and said enough. Sandra wanted to resume her life to build a future in acting. She has been sober for four years.
After appearing in several episodes of the soap opera Belleza y poder and CSI: Miami, and working as a correspondent for the magazinePeople, Sandra gradually found her place. Her latest significant work has been her casting for the ninth season of Selling Sunset, the luxury real estate reality show in West Hollywood on Netflix.
Sandra Vergara's last known relationship was with New Zealand actor Antony Starr (50), mainly known for his role in the series The Boys. They were quite socially active in 2024, attending numerous events, including the Emmy gala. However, in the past year, they have not been seen together publicly, suggesting a breakup. But neither of them has confirmed it.
Sofía and Sandra are almost like two peas in a pod and both enjoy being admired. In recent images, Sandra showcased her beauty in a spectacular bikini while on vacation in Hawaii.