Ariel Winter is getting real about how it was growing up in front of the cameras, starring in Modern Family. The young star landed the role of Alex Dunphy at just 11 years old, and as she got older, she faced scrutiny over her body with mean comments on social media and in the press.

The actress, who publicly endured family strife and endless bullying online as a child star, has found joy and a new sense of purposeAriel Winter opens up about her decision to move out of her hometown of Los Angeles in PEOPLE's latest cover story Winter says she's still very much involved in acting and producing,

In a conversation with People, Winter said that while playing Alex Dunphy on 11 seasons of the 22-time Emmy-winner, the media brutally critiqued her physical appearance. In the early seasons of the show, Winter was only 14 years old, which made the negative attention all the more difficult to deal with.