India, May 9 -- A decade ago, Ariel Winter was best recognised as the whip-smart, sarcastic Alex Dunphy on Modern Family. But behind the scenes, the young actor was battling the dark underbelly of fame - relentless public scrutiny, online bullying, and a turbulent home life. In a candid conversation with PEOPLE, Ariel reflected on the emotional scars left by being in the spotlight at a young age. "I was 14," she said, recalling harsh headlines about her appearance, adding, "It totally damaged my self-esteem. It made it very difficult to look at myself in the mirror and go, 'I love this version of me'." At that same age, she was removed from her mother's custody due to abuse allegations (which her mother denies), placed under her sister Shanelle Gray's care, and later legally emancipated at 17. "Honestly, it's just my entire childhood," she said of the trauma. "It's a really deep, painful, sore, sore part for me," she added. After Modern Family ended in 2020, Winter took a bold step - leaving Los Angeles. "I didn't leave the industry," she clarified, "I just left the city of L.A. It holds some not-great memories for me. and I thought, 'Why not?'" Now settled into a quieter life with her partner Luke Benward and their six rescue dogs, Winter has found peace in cooking, advocacy, and a slower pace. She's also channelled her energy into SOSA, a nonprofit fighting online child abuse - something she feels deeply connected to. "Technically, yes, I'm a survivor," she says. "But I want my story to be that she uses her platform for good. My journey to healing is now through helping other people," she ended. HTC...