Ariel Winter opens up about her rapid weight loss after a fan asks why she's 'so thin'

Ariel Winter booked the part of Alex Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family when she was only ten years old. Now she's 21, a young woman who grew up right in front of America's eyes. Would you like to spend your awkward teenage years on national television? I'm guessing no. (But making more than $100,000 an episode probably makes up for it.)

On Wednesday, Winter shared a stunning new selfie with her 3.9 million Instagram followers. A risky endeavor, since trolls frequently body-shame her, and accuse her of getting plastic surgery. This time, a concerned fan asked, "Why so thin," and the TV star posted a lengthy response on Instagram Story, opening up about her rapid weight loss.

"For years I had been on anti-depressants that caused me to gain weight that I couldn't lose no matter what I did," Winter explained. "It was always frustrating for me because I wanted to get fit and feel like the work I was doing was paying off, but it never felt that way. I had accepted it and moved on."

Eventually, she decided to stop taking that medication, which had dramatic results. "The change in medication instantly made me drop all the weight I couldn't lose before by just giving me back a metabolism," Winter wrote. "While I feel better mentally with the change, and it's nice to work out and have your body actually respond, I want to gain a few pounds of muscle and get healthier. Also want my butt back..."

When one fan asked about her mental health, Winter responded, "Mental health is incredibly important to me. Same amount of importance as physical health. I’ve been in therapy every week for 6 years and I don’t know where I’d be without it. I’ve grown so much as a person and been able to learn how to deal with things from my past that affect my present. It’s a journey so I’m not all the way there, but I’m doing pretty good."

Well, it's nice to see Winter is doing well. Earlier this week, her Twitter followers roasted her after she asked them to donate money to her sick cousin's recovery fund. "Net worth of $12 million asking people with net worth in negative numbers for money," wrote @JoeHanussak. "Classic. I'm poor as hell taking care of a disabled wife, disabled mother inlaw, and a step son paying tons of child support. Dont see me asking for money."

 

Winter fired back, " I’m shocked at how many people have sent me hate tweets about my cousin instead of a simple, kind message showing him some love and support. Nothing else needed to be done aside from that. I re-posted a gofundme that my cousin’s friend made just as anyone else would. Hurtful."

Next year Winter will return for Modern Family's 11th and final season, which might spawn a spin-off.