From her final thoughts on "Modern Family," to her Only Regret, today, we look at Things
You Didn't Know About Sarah Hyland .
Number 10.
Her final thoughts
Sarah Hyland is most popularly known for her character Haley Dunphy on the ABC sitcom "Modern
Family."
She has received many accolades and nominations, including Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Series.
As the final season of "Modern Family" comes to a close, Hyland shares her thoughts on
her experience as the character Haley during the show's 10 year run.
"I will probably miss the people the most, from Modern," she tells PEOPLE.
"Our crew is amazing and, of course, I love our cast, they are very special people."
Number 9.
Homeschooled
Hyland has been in the industry since the tender age of 4 starting with commercial work
and voice overs.
Her father, Edward James Hyland and mother Melissa Canaday are both industry professionals.
Her father is an actor and traveled for work.
While the family traveled, Hyland's mother - now an acting coach to young actors - homeschooled
Hyland until the second grade.
She attended public school until grade 6 where she was accepted into the Professional Performing
Arts School and there she stayed until she graduated in 2008.
Other notable alumni of this prestigious school include Jesse Eisenberg, Alicia Keys, Brittney
Spears, and Claire Danes.
Number 8.
Ballet Dancer
The Hyland family has an extensive history with stage productions, so it's no wonder
that she has taken years of dance lessons.
She studied jazz, ballet, tap, and hip-hop.
Her dance troop was even invited as special guests to the Lincoln Center for jazz and
theatrical dance.
She showed her skill on pointe for a photoshoot and interview with Beauty Coach in 2016.
After not dancing for 10 years, she was more than happy to dust off her old slippers and
stretch her dancing muscles.
She even had her mother ship her pointe shoes out to L.A. just for that segment.
Shortly after, she was able to show off those dance skills once more as she portrayed the
role of Lisa Houseman in ABC's Dirty Dancing.
Number 7.
She Sings
Hyland is an accomplished singer as well.
On top of her Broadway debut, Hyland has participated in many other musical endeavors.
In 1999, she was cast in the role of Molly in ABC's "Annie" starring Kathy Bates.
Most notably, she performed a cover of "Closer" by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey as well as
"Don't Wanna Know" by Maroon 5 with Boyce Avenue.
She has also performed with Jordan McGraw at the Teen Choice Awards, took a role as
Sidney in "The Unauthorized Musical Parody of Scream," and even did an episode of Lip
Sync Battle where she performed "Don't cha" by the Pussycat Dolls.
She has even had a small singing spot on "Modern Family" where her family members Luke and
Manny sing a rendition of "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and The Pips.
Number 6.
Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo partnered with famous women like Nicole Kidman, Lisa Kudrow and Beyonce in
commercials for other Nintendo handhelds, so it's not surprising that they approached
Sarah Hyland to help advertise the 3DS.
Hyland was asked to join and became the face for Style Savvy: Trendsetters, a video game
that allowed users to create and manage their own virtual clothing boutiques.
Known best for her fashion forward, mildly boy crazy character on Modern Family, Nintendo's
choice of Hyland being the face of this campaign was very fitting.
In an interview with TeenVogue, she said "I've always been a fan of Nintendo.
My first memories of playing games are on my Nintendo 64 with Mario Kart, so when I
found out that Nintendo 3DS made a fashion game, I was drawn to it."
Number 5.
Restraining Order
Hyland met Matthew Prokop on the set of High School Musical 3 and they dated from 2009
- 2014.
The split happened in August, however, in September, she filed a Domestic Violence Temporary
Restraining Order against him.
She was granted a three year order that he was not to come within 100 yards of Hyland
or her dog.
She states that the last 4 years of their relationship was full of unhappiness and abuse.
While in court, she testified that Prokop had attacked her, criticising an outfit she
was wearing.
He pushed her against a car and choked her while screaming expletives at her.
"His grip was so tight that I could not breathe or speak,' Hyland says in court documents.
'I was scared and in fear for my life.'
She also reports he threatened to commit arson by setting one of her homes on fire and that
she would never see her dog again.
She states that they met one last time in August where he took her phone and deleted
all of the messages he had sent her.
He was admitted into a rehab facility soon after that.
The facility director contacted Hyland directly and advised her to request the restraining
order before Prokop was released.
In October of 2014, she was granted a Permanent Restraining Order against Prokop.
Number 4.
Kidney Recipient
The bad luck doesn't end there.
She has been diagnosed with a kidney disease.
When Hyland was 9, she was diagnosed with kidney dysplasia which is a disorder in which
the kidneys don't develop properly while in the womb.
It also produces large, painful cysts.
With 7 surgeries before the age of 4, her body was losing a battle with itself; it was
time for a transplant.
Luckily, her father was a match and donated one of his.
After her first transplant, things were good for about 8 years.
Unfortunately, as of 3 years ago, her body began to reject her donated kidney.
"The transplanted kidney was like a house that caught on fire.
You can't unburn a house," Hyland stated in an interview with SELF.
She began dialysis three times a week, 4 hours a day, all while still working on Modern Family.
From February 2017, things seemed to be going well, but it was too late, the kidney had
been completely rejected.
She was scheduled for an atherectomy on May 10th.
In July, her younger brother finished the testing procedure and was found to be a positive
match, and the second kidney transplant was scheduled.
They celebrate a "kidneyversary" each year.
Number 3.
Work-a-holic
Hyland has said on multiple occasions that she is a Work-o-holic.
When she moved to L.A. in 2009, she set a goal for herself to have a job in two months.
She achieved that goal within a month with "Modern Family."
When she discovered she would need dialysis after her first kidney transplant failed,
she chose a center that was close to work to make the commute easier.
Shortly after she was told that her brother was a match as a donor, she scheduled a surgery.
September was a whirlwind month for Hyland.
With the Emmys and a massive surgery scheduled in a 4 day time frame, she had her hands full.
Luckily, she has a close knit support system to be her rock and to keep her sane.
Sept 16th she went to an Emmy Pre-Party, Sept 17th was the Emmys Awards Ceremony, Sept 18th
she went to work on the set of "Modern Family" at 6am, then went to dialysis later that day.
On Sept 19th, she had surgery scheduled for 4am that morning.
Number 2.
Dark Thoughts
She began to open up about her health issues recently and included in those are endometriosis
, gout, sciatica , and an abdominal hernia - which went unnoticed for a year.
She has had multiple surgeries for endometriosis, and surgery to remove the hernia, adding to
her growing number of medical procedures in her life.
She has stated that the pain of gout (the crystallization of uric acid in the joints)
was the worst pain she has ever experienced in her life.
Knowing that her donated kidney wasn't viable was a heavy burden to bear, as well as fearing
a second donation from her brother.
She struggles with self esteem issues as well.
When a kidney is transplanted, the new kidney is added on top of the old kidney which causes
the stomach to distend.
Through all of this, she became incredibly depressed . "After 27 years of just always
being sick and being in chronic pain every single day and you don't know when you're
gonna have the next good day, it's really, really hard," she said while on the Ellen
Show.
"I didn't want anyone to know that I was that close."
She went on to encourage those who may be having those feelings themselves to reach
out for help, however it is they see fit.
Number 1.
One regret
Even after all of this, Hyland is in good spirits.
She got engaged to Wells Adams in July 2019 with the exact ring she picked.
Adams is known for his role as the bartender on "Bachelor in Paradise" and a contestant
on "The Bachelorette."
They met for the first time in 2017, just days before her second transplant surgery.
After surgery, they talked constantly and their budding relationship became even stronger.
Hyland and Adams grew emotionally and supportive of each other as the years went on which led
Adams to propose to Hyland on a secluded beach during a tropical get away.
She says in an instagram post at their third Emmy Party together, "my only regret is that
we have ZERO pictures from the night that changed my life."
The couple was supposed to get married in August of 2020 but postponed their wedding
due to the pandemic.
The couple still dressed in white and celebrated on their would-be wedding day.
Over 16 surgeries in 29 years, a rough break up, and a postponed wedding, it seems like
nothing can stop this amazing actress from living her best life.
Which fact surprised you the most?
Let us know in the comments below and then check out this next video which you may find
interesting!