'Modern Family' actress Ariel Winter removed from home amid abuse allegations

Wonderwall, Wednesday, November 7, 2012, 1:36pm (PST)

Us Weekly

• "Modern Family" star Ariel Winter is breaking free from her mom, Crystal Workman, with a little help from her older sister, Shanelle Gray, TMZ reports.

  In October, shocking allegations emerged against Workman, who has reportedly been both physically and emotionally abusive towards her 14-year-old daughter. (Gray filed documents petitioning for guardianship of her younger sibling that month.)

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  On Nov. 7, TMZ reported that the actress had indeed been placed under her sister's temporary guardianship shortly after Gray's documents were filed. A source tells the site that a restraining order has also been put in place against Workman, who will have to stay 100 yards away from Winter.

  According to TMZ's report, Gray was also removed from Workman's home as a child, and placed in foster care by the Department of Children and Family Services.

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  Winter, who plays brainy teen Alex Dunphy on the beloved ABC sitcom, first got her start in showbiz after landing a spot in a Cool Whip commercial when she was only 6 years old. Winter, along with the rest of the "Modern Family" cast, earned a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2011 and again in 2012.

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