After a devastating illness left Joe Manganiello contemplating suicide, the 6-foot-5 actor found comfort in a tiny five-pound chihuahua, only to be ridiculed for the dog by ex-wife, Sofía Vergara, according to his new memoir.
Shortly after marrying Modern Family star Sofía Vergara in 2015, Joe Manganiello was struck by a mysterious illness that would consume the next seven years of his life.
The Magic Mike star suffered excruciating abdominal pain, went through “major organ amputation,” and lost 60 pounds as doctors struggled to determine what was wrong.
Now 49, Manganiello is revealing how his devastating illness pushed his marriage to the breaking point in his upcoming memoir, “Bloodlines,” out Oct. 13.
“I can’t believe I’m alive,” he told People. “I feel like I was reborn.”
A 7-year health nightmare
The first signs of trouble came when Manganiello experienced severe abdominal pain that eventually left him unable to walk. As ulcers developed throughout his digestive tract, he also suffered fevers, blistering rashes, headaches, exhaustion and rectal bleeding.
“I was getting sicker and sicker,” he told the outlet.
By 2016, the actor needed part of his intestines removed in an emergency operation, leaving him dependent on an ostomy bag to collect bodily waste.
“It happened to me, and it’s the truth, and I have all the scars to prove it,” he said.
‘Gauntlet of drugs’
Despite numerous colonoscopies and years of medical treatment, doctors never established a definitive diagnosis, although his symptoms suggested an autoimmune disorder, that he described as “a dumping ground for things [doctors] don’t understand.”
And, the “gauntlet of drugs,” he explained, offered little relief, forcing the Nonnas star to rely on hydrocodone, fentanyl patches and marijuana – a difficult situation for the actor, who had maintained 13 years of sobriety before his illness.
“I didn’t feel like I deserved to say that I was sober,” he admitted, “[but] I had to put the pain and the condition first.”
Manganiello eventually underwent another operation to reconnect his digestive tract and says he is now symptom-free and no longer needs medication.
Crumbling marriage
While Manganiello was fighting for his life, his relationship with Vergara was also deteriorating.
In his memoir, he described their marriage as having “become devoid of any emotionality whatsoever,” alleging that his wife refused to hug him even when he begged for affection.
The uncertainty surrounding his health also affected their plans to have children.
After unsuccessful IVF attempts, the couple considered an egg donor, but Manganiello says he abandoned the idea because he feared dying and leaving Vergara to raise a child “who wasn’t biologically hers.”
His account challenges Vergara’s previous explanation for their divorce. She told a Spanish newspaper that their marriage ended “because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids, and I didn’t want to be an old mom.”
Addressing the “false” public claims, Manganiello – who is now engaged to actor Caitlin O’Connor – said: “There were things said and printed about me that were false.”
But during his darkest days, an unlikely companion changed his life.
A tiny dog named Bubbles
In 2019, a 5-pound chihuahua named Bubbles unexpectedly entered his orbit.
The little dog, then 6, had been returned by several prospective owners and was facing serious health problems, including mammary cancer, blood in her urine and the need for multiple surgeries.
The host of Deal or No Deal Island initially agreed to look after her for just one week, but their connection quickly changed his plans.
“The dog was meant for somebody else,” he told NBC10, “and the dog liked me.”
After learning about her medical needs, he decided to take responsibility for her treatment.
“I felt like the universe had said, ‘This is your dog and you’re gonna take care of this little thing. And you’re at least gonna get her the surgeries she needs,’” he told the outlet.
As he concentrated on helping the tiny animal recover, caring for her gave him a purpose in a time that he said he was feeling suicidal.
“I had to give my gun away because I kept thinking about it, and then the dog came. I went from being the patient to the caretaker,” he wrote in his book.
He has since called adopting Bubbles “one of the greatest things I’ve done with my life.”
But while the tiny chihuahua was helping Manganiello through one of the most difficult periods of his life, he says the woman closest to him offered little support.
In “Bloodlines,” Manganiello alleges that Vergara “ridiculed” him for Bubbles, the sickly five-pound dog who had given him something to care for when he was struggling to care for himself.
And when the marriage ended, there was still the question of who would keep Bubbles.
Manganiello gets custody of Bubbles
The couple separated in 2023 and finalized their divorce the following year, but Manganiello’s bond with Bubbles – who has her own passport and goes “everywhere” with her dad – remained unchanged.
According to a source close to the actor who spoke to the Daily Mail, Vergara understood how much the chihuahua meant to him and “graciously” granted him custody of Bubbles.
“Neither one of them is bitter or out for revenge, and Sofia loves Bubbles and wants her to be happy which is precisely why she’s letting Joe have custody,” the anonymous source told the outlet.
What do you think about Joe Manganiello’s revelations about his 7-year health battle and everything he endured behind the scenes? Before passing this story along, please let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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