Modern Family star Ariel Winter says she was forced to move away from Los Angeles due to paparazzi

Ariel Winter has revealed that she decided to move away from Los Angeles because of the toll paparazzi interest was taking on her life.

The actor, who rose to fame on the hit sitcom Modern Family, said that she “hated” living in LA, in large part due to the media attention.

Speaking on the Quitters podcast, hosted by Modern Family co-star Julie Bowen, the 24-year-old said: “Part of the reason I always hated L.A. is because I have been followed by paparazzi for a very long portion of my life. And I really, really dislike having my space invaded.”

“I don’t like pictures of me when I haven’t signed up for pictures of me. I don’t like feeling watched,” she added. “I’ve always just wanted to live a very, very normal life, just have a normal existence.”

After years of facing down the spotlight, Winter moved away from the city with her boyfriend Luke Benward.

“People have always been like, ‘You don’t like L.A., why don’t you just move?’” she recalled. “And then I just randomly looked and decided, ‘Why not?’

“We sold our cars, got an Escalade to fit all the dogs for the drive, put my house on the market and sold my house.”

The actor is, however, still set to appear in a number of projects which film in LA, such as the forthcoming NBC series Hungry.