Ariel Winter feels "insecure all the time".

Ariel Winter

Ariel Winter

The 'Modern Family' star - who joined the show when she was 11 years old - has admitted she had her self-confidence knocked during her younger years when she was branded "fat" and a "sl*t".

She said: "I was completely flat and would get ridiculed for that.

"I started trying to dress for my body and was called a sl*t or a fat hooker. It got even worse as I was turning 13, 14, 15. It really took so much of my self- esteem.

"I still get insecure all the time."

The 19-year-old actress - who plays Alex Dunphy in the show - decided against trying to please others after years of dieting, and always tries to write something positive on social media to make herself feel good.

She added to Us Weekly magazine: "I would say to myself, 'Do you really feel this way about yourself?' And the answer was always no.

"It was really disappointing that people would hate me so much for dressing how I wanted to.

"It's difficult to not write something sassy, but I feel better when I write something positive. Maybe they'll not write something hurtful next time.

"It makes you feel better about yourself."

Ariel's latest Instagram post was very much a positive one as she gushed over her boyfriend Levi Meaden on their one-year anniversary.

She wrote: "Happy 1 year anniversary my love. I'm the luckiest girl in the entire world. Thank you for being the incredible man you are, and for making me the happiest I could've ever imagined. Here's to many, many more. I love you. P.S. your crazy butt is the only one who could ever make me agree to jumping off a cliff at a waterfall soooo yeah. I love you. (sic)"


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