Sarah Hyland is opening up about a really difficult time in her life.
In 2014, the 33-year-old actress broke up with her then-boyfriend Matthew Prokop with the help of her Modern Family co-star Julie Bowen. Sarah claimed he was both physically and verbally abusive to her throughout their five-year relationship. While breaking up with him, Matthew allegedly became enraged, threatening to kill her dog and burn down her house. OMG. She ended up obtaining a three-year restraining order against him that also covered her dog afterward.
Related: Anna Kendrick Says 7-Year Relationship Turned Abusive ‘Overnight’
Since then, Sarah has been using her voice to raise awareness for domestic abuse and animal welfare. She’s now getting recognized for her incredible work as she accepted Variety‘s first-ever Courage Award. Speaking with the outlet on Thursday, the former Love Island host got real about why it has been “really important” to talk about her experience with domestic violence and “help those in need” all these years. She said:
“For thousands of years now, we didn’t talk about it. The community hasn’t shared enough, I believe. And I feel that if we talk about it more, more women — and men and just human beings in general in abusive relationships — will feel more comfortable to be able to talk about it with their loved ones instead of letting their abuser isolate them from everyone, which is the first thing that they do, so that you don’t have that community.”
Sadly, Sarah knows what this is like all too well. And even a decade later, she still struggles with what she experienced at the hands of Matthew. The Vampire Academy star pointed out that the PTSD caused by the abuse stays with you even long after the relationship is over and remains “in that abused place of your soul, where you think it’s your fault the whole time and you could have done better, you could have gotten out sooner, you could have told people.” Oof. Sarah continued:
“It’s almost like you don’t wanna talk about it anymore. You want it to be done, and that’s that. I completely understand the dissociation pattern of it. I am very much guilty about it myself… until something happens where I’m triggered, and I didn’t realize that part of myself had been healed.”
Ultimately, Sarah doesn’t think she or “any woman will ever be fully healed” after going through such a hard situation:
“It’s something that kind of scars her soul a little bit. It’s more so putting love towards that scar instead of hating it and ignoring it.”
Sarah continuing to speak out about domestic violence undoubtedly has helped many women feel less alone. We applaud her bravery in opening up. Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via WENN, The Kelly Clarkson Show/YouTube]
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