Every time Ariel Winter stepped onto a red carpet, she knew what was coming: the stares, the whispers, the rumors. But for the 17-year-old star of Modern Family, she had a job to do—act. Act, and pretend she didn't notice. But even though from the outside it looked like the attention didn't bother her, there was an emotional and physical battle that she struggled with deeply inside. At 5'1", the petite star was dealing with more than an awkward growth spurt. "It really did happen overnight," Winter says of her breast development. "I remember being in my sister's wedding and being so flat and thinking, I just wish I would grow boobs!' and then overnight I did. But then they kept growing and growing and growing and it didn't seem like they were going to stop." It's hard enough being a teenager in life, but being on one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed sitcoms drew heightened interest. "I was 15 years old with [size] F [breasts]," recounts Winter. "It's like, How do you navigate that?'"

And yet, navigate she did—at least to the best of her ability. Finding bras and clothes that fit was more than difficult emotionally but nothing that compared with the physical pain she endured on a daily basis. Noting that standing up straight for hours at a time proved difficult, Winter often found herself hunched over on set. "It started to hurt so bad that I couldn't take the pain," admits the young star. Noting that the female side of her family has a "history of large breasts," several family members were not shocked when Winter confided her thoughts about eventually undergoing breast reduction surgery. "A few of my cousins have had breast reductions, so it wasn't a shock when I decided to get one." Still, Winter stresses that the decision was entirely her own and not the result of online bullying. "I got it for myself. I can't even really put it into words about how amazing it feels to really feel right."

On the morning of June 4—a little more than two months ago—Winter woke up ready to put the physical and emotional pain behind her. Having only told a select few family and friends, the Modern Family star underwent breast reduction surgery to reduce the size of her chest from a 32F to a 34D. The result for Winter was noticeable right away. Throughout the course of our exclusive sit-down interview, she mentions frequently that she "feels like a new person." Winter knows the physical difference is what everyone will be talking about, but it's the emotional change that's most evident.

Having interviewed Winter many times over the course of her young career, it becomes evident that the star has never been so happy or at ease. "It's amazing to finally feel right," she shares exclusively with Glamour. "This is how I was supposed to be." Here's her story: