Modern Family star Sarah Hyland rarely talks about her abusive ex-boyfriend Matt Prokop but she recently opened up about how the domestic abuse still affects her today.
Speaking with Refinery29, she said,
“A lot of people like to think that once you’re out of an abusive situation, it ends there, but it doesn’t. The emotional trauma and scars on the soul stay there, and they impact you for the rest of your life if you don’t get help.”
She continued,
“I still find myself being like, ‘Oh, why did I just explode out of nowhere?’ I realize it’s tied to certain things, and it’s an endless battle of correcting yourself and having self-love.”
Sarah filed a permanent restraining order against Matt in September 2014 after a 5-year relationship. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, he choked her while calling her a c*nt. She told the court,
“His grip was so tight that I could not breathe or speak. I was scared and in fear for my life.”
He also threatened to burn down her house and kidnap her dog.
And even after the two broke up, he “relentlessly bombarded [her] with vile, threatening and emotionally disturbing texts and voice mails including his own suicide threats.”
Sarah has seldom discussed the abuse in public, only telling Meredith Vieira on The View in October 2014,
“People have to go through things in order to become the person they are today, and that’s that.”
Luckily, Sarah has since found an amazing man, The Bachelorette alum Wells Adams. The two got engaged in December 2019 after dating for two years.
Sarah also has a budding singing career as well as a new partnership with clean skincare line No B.S., which will donate 50% of the proceeds of her curated line to She Recovers, an organization that helps women recovering from abusive situations (among other things).
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