Modern Family's Ariel Winter Spotted Getting Cozy with Dumplin' Star Luke Benward

Natalie Stone
Updated

Ariel Winter appears to have a new special man in her life.

The Modern Family actress was spotted getting cozy with Dumplin’ star Luke Benward on Wednesday.

In a photo obtained by PEOPLE, Benward, 24, was captured standing beside Winter, 21, with his arm around her waist as they waited outside of Delilah in West Hollywood.

For their night out together, Winter wore a long, black sweater, which she accessorized with a small red purse. As for Benward, who has also appeared on TV series Good Luck Charlie, Ravenswood and Still the King, he wore a button-up plaid shirt with cream-colored pants.

Luke Benward and Ariel Winter | BACKGRID
Luke Benward and Ariel Winter | BACKGRID

Nearly one week prior, the pair posed together on the red carpet at the Lanc?me x Vogue L’Absolu Ruby Holiday Event at Raspoutine on Dec. 5 in West Hollywood.

Ariel Winter, and Luke Benward | Presley Ann/Getty Images
Ariel Winter, and Luke Benward | Presley Ann/Getty Images

The outing comes a few months after Us Weekly reported in October that Winter and Levi Meaden had split after almost three years together. The former couple began dating in November 2016 and lived together over the course of their relationship.

Although Winter and Meaden, 32, have since parted ways, the actress was able to share some exciting news with her fans also in October, when she guest-starred on her “favorite show ever,” Law & Order: SVU.

“Tomorrow 10/3 at 10pm PDT I’m honored to be a guest star on my favorite show ever @nbcsvu ?? there’s a limit to how much I can write here so check out my Instagram post to see me 😍about this incredible experience #LawAndOrderSVU,” she tweeted.

RELATED: Modern Family’s Ariel Winter Shares Photos Shooting Law & Order: SVU with Mariska Hargitay

The actress accompanied the tweet with four behind-the-scenes shots, including a smiling selfie with costar Mariska Hargitay, who plays NYPD Captain Olivia Benson in the long-running NBC drama.

She also used Instagram to post more photos of herself with Hargitay, 55, writing in the caption, “Mariska worked with me not only as an actress but as a person, and I feel I have grown immensely from the experience. The amount of care and interest she showed in me as a person was amazing.”

View this post on Instagram

Tomorrow night 10/3 @ 10pm PDT I am guest starring on my FAVORITE SHOW EVER Law & Order: SVU @nbcsvu I've seen every episode of this show and when I got the email about guest staring in the episode (entitled The Darkest Journey Home) I didn't even need to open it before saying yes. It was a challenge for me in many ways, both personally and professionally. I was so nervous and eager because I wanted to do my best alongside such ridiculously talented people. It was an absolute honor to work with their entire cast and crew (EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO WORKS ON IT IS EFFING AWESOME), and I couldn’t be more grateful that I was entrusted to play Reagan. Reagan is wildly different from any character I’ve played. She's special to me because she’s a realistic person. She’s not perfect, she's still figuring herself out. She likes to go out and drink and experiment, and like many of us, she struggles with accepting herself and being honest. The episode wrestles with the restrictions of being a “credible” victim/witness. Making mistakes, or experimenting with things some may frown upon, does not mean you should be an open target for sexual assault. NOTHING anyone does could EVER possibly warrant that. It was a challenge to bring this all to life, because I have a fear of failure and a hard time relinquishing control. Like many people, it was hard for me to accept change and criticism. But the amazing guidance of @therealmariskahargitay & Jean, our director, helped me break down walls and look at the material in a new way. Mariska worked with me not only as an actress but as a person, and I feel I have grown immensely from the experience. The amount of care and interest she showed in me as a person was amazing. She was truly interested in my life story and always made me feel heard. She was honest and gave me some of the most accurate advice I've ever been given. She pushed me as an actress and as a person. I couldn't be luckier I had this experience. People like her are RARE in and out of this industry. She cares deeply about everyone. She care about her show. Most importantly she cares about representing and doing justice by the brave people that relate to the stories?? #svu

A post shared by ARIEL WINTER (@arielwinter) on Oct 2, 2019 at 7:26pm PDT

Winter continued, “She was truly interested in my life story and always made me feel heard. She was honest and gave me some of the most accurate advice I’ve ever been given.”

Next year, Winter will be saying goodbye to Modern Family — on which she has starred as Alex Dunphy since 2009 — when the series wraps its 11th and final season.

Modern Family airs Wednesdays (9 p.m. ET) on ABC.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next