People News

'Modern Family' star's family deny abuse

Nov 8, 2012, 20:01 GMT

Ariel Winter with co-stars Julie Bowen, Sarah Hyland, Sophia Vergara and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons

'Modern Family' star Ariel Winter's brother claims that allegations of abuse against their mother are false.

The 14-year-old actress - who plays Alex Dunphy in the hit comedy series - has been removed from her mother Crystal Workman's home by child protective services for the second time and placed in her older sister's care but her brother Jimmy Workman insists there is no truth to the accusations of serious physical and emotional abuse.

He told USMagazine.com: 'There is no truth to these allegations. The allegations made 20 years ago are not true and the ones today are not true. This is a mother who does everything for her kids. Chris misses Ariel and wants her to come home.'

Crystal also directly denied the accusations to People.com saying: 'It's all untrue, it's all untrue. I have my doctor's letter that my daughter's never been abused.'

A source revealed yesterday (07.11.12) that Ariel's older sister Shanelle Gray was awarded temporary legal custody last month.

The insider revealed that the girls also secured a restraining order against their mother, forcing her to stay 100 yards away from the young actress at all times.

Ariel - who was honoured with her second consecutive Screen Actors Guild Award along with her fellow cast-mates for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series earlier this year - is said to have been previously removed from her mother's care as a young child and placed in foster care by the Department of Children and Family Services.

Earlier this year San Diego, California, born Ariel banded together with her other young co-stars Rico Rodriguez, 14, Nolan Gould, 14, and Sarah Hyland, 21, to renegotiate their 'Modern Family' contracts together in a bid to secure uniform salaries and are now paid a reported $70,000 per episode each.