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Joe Manganiello has opened up about a serious illness he kept hidden from the public for seven years, claiming that his health problems ultimately forced him to give up his dream of having children with Sofia Vergara.

The 49-year-old actor also claims in his memoir that Vergara, now 54, refused to hug him even when he begged her to do so during the period when he was seriously ill.

The Magic Mike star also disputes his ex-wife’s account that their breakup was caused by his desire to have children. Vergara previously said she did not want to become an “older mother.” According to Manganiello, however, it was his illness that ultimately made him abandon the idea of having children.

The actor said that after several unsuccessful rounds of IVF, he and Vergara began considering the possibility of using a donor egg. However, because of his health condition, Manganiello did not want to take the risk of dying and leaving his former wife with a child who would not be biologically related to her.

“There were things that were said and written about me that simply weren’t true,” the actor said, explaining why he decided to tell his side of the story in his memoir.

In 2024, Vergara said that disagreements over having children were the reason for their divorce.

“Our marriage broke down because my husband was younger, he wanted to have children, and I didn’t want to become an older mother,” the actress said. According to Vergara, she felt that would be unfair to the child.

Manganiello, however, revealed that his health problems began shortly after he married Vergara in 2015.

His initial symptoms were severe. The actor suffered from excruciating abdominal pain that left him unable to walk, as well as painful rashes, headaches, extreme fatigue and rectal bleeding.

“I was getting worse and worse,” he recalled.

Over the next seven years, Manganiello lost around 60 pounds, underwent several colonoscopies and, in 2016, required emergency surgery to remove part of his intestine. Afterward, he had to use a colostomy bag.

According to the actor, conventional treatment failed to improve his condition for a long time. Eventually, he sought help from a shaman in Santa Monica, who suggested that his health problems could have been linked to trauma passed down through generations. In particular, he referred to ancestors who were killed during the Armenian Genocide, as well as his grandmother’s battle with lupus.

Manganiello says he is now completely free of symptoms and no longer takes medication. He credits a second surgery with restoring the functioning of his digestive system.

The actor also says he is especially grateful for the support of his fiancée, Caitlin O’Connor. The couple is now even considering having children of their own.

“If it’s meant for me,” the actor said. “For seven years, I thought I was going to die the following week. Now the world has opened up to me again.”

Manganiello’s book, Bloodlines, will be released on October 13.

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