As you may remember, I’m fond of Modern Family’s Sarah Hyland. I think she’s a pretty little thing, and she’s quite talented too. I like that she doesn’t overreach – her work beyond Modern Family is of the Nickelodeon and ABC Family variety, and she’s not trying to sexpot-up her image at this moment. She’s 21 years old and she’s not trying to act 30. I like that. Anyway, Hyland covers the new issue of Seventeen and she reveals something that we’ve never heard before: she had kidney dysplasia, and her father gave her a kidney for a transplant last month. Amazing.

Sarah Hyland has been battling a lifelong illness and she’s now ready to talk about it.

The 21-year-old Modern Family star opens up in the new issue of Seventeen magazine about her struggle with kidney dysplasia. Hyland underwent life-saving kidney transplant surgery in early April.

She got her kidney from her father, Edward James Hyland, and says the surgery has given her a new perspective on life

“You know that family is always going to be there for you—no matter what. My dad gave me a freaking’ kidney!” Hyland told Seventeen. “But its also the families that you create outside of your family. And you really find out what kind of people you’re friends with. It was just amazing, and it really opened my eyes to see who’s there for me and who’s not.”

While she recovers, Hyland’s boyfriend, actor Matt Prokop, has been there to support her.

“He helps me with my medication and takes me to doctor appointments and all the stuff that I need to do to take care of myself. Any other 21-year-old guy would not be there, I guarantee it,” she said. “I am one of the luckiest people in the world to have him be there for me.”

She added, “I have a second chance at life, not a lot of people get that.”

For more on Sarah Hyland and her struggle with kidney dysplasia, go to http://www.seventeen.com/sarah and pick up the June/July issue of Seventeen, on newsstands May 22nd.

[From Us Weekly]

Aw. Poor kid. You can read more about kidney dysplasia here. I wasn’t really familiar with the disease, and considering I have a pretty low tolerance for all things medical, it’s best if I don’t try to summarize what’s going on. Suffice to say that her dad saved her life and she seems like a very grounded young woman. I’m surprised we’re only hearing about the transplant after the fact – and I’m assuming that ABC and Modern Family producers worked around Hyland’s schedule and that she has plenty of time to recover.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, Seventeen.

As you know, I really like Sarah Hyland, the 20-year-old Mila Kunis-look-alike on Modern Family. She convincingly plays a 16-year-old on that show, and she could honestly pass for even younger, she’s so small and young-looking. In interviews, Hyland comes across as funny and sweet – with a slightly bitchy edge, but she’s cool about it. I never hear anything about her parents, but I just looked through her IMDB, and apparently she was a child actor who moved to LA when she turned 18, and I’m assuming her folks still live in NYC, where Hyland grew up. I imagine it could be scary for such a young woman, alone in LA. But she got herself a boyfriend, and apparently they’re already shacking up and they might even be preparing for a wedding. SHE’S 20!!! And she looks 14. Gawd.

Sarah Hyland, 20, plays wisecracking 16-year-old Haley Dunphy on Modern Family, and now she’s shacking up with her boyfriend, Disney actor Matt Prokop, and planning a wedding, insiders tell The Enquirer.

“Sarah and Matt moved in together about a year ago, and she says they’re actually like an old married couple already,” one source revealed. “They’re homebodies who host barbecues and dinner parties for friends of all ages rather than hitting clubs like a lot of young stars.”

After spending the past year under the same roof, Sarah and Matt have found they are so compatible that they’re discussing tying the knot sometime in 2012.

“Sarah may be young, but she’s mature beyond her years,” the source noted. “It’s ironic that she plays a character on TV so unlike her real-life self.”

The two lovebirds met during auditions for 2008’s High School Musical 3 (Matt got the part) and moved in together in August 2010 – when they were both just 19! And the super-cute couple has no problem mixing business with pleasure. They star together in the Disney Channel original movie, Geek Charming, which airs Nov. 11. Meantime, Sarah gushes about their romatic living arrangements: “I like it, I like it, I like it!”

[From The Enquirer, print edition]

Methinks the reason they don’t go clubbing is because they aren’t even 21 yet! Look, I really don’t mind the whole “shacking up” thing. I think it’s cute, and it’s good practice, and it speaks volumes about Hyland that she prioritizes her boyfriend and she’s in a committed relationship. That’s all cute and hey, if she was in college, she would be doing the same kind of stuff. But marriage? Why do kids today feel the need to put a ring on it so young? Just wait a hot minute. You don’t have to be “grown up” so fast.

OMG, how cute is it that they always do the “heads touching” pose on the red carpet? I bet she makes him practice that, right? She’s adorable.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

These are some new photos of Lea Michele at this weekend’s event for “Variety’s Power of Women” luncheon. Demi Moore and Eva Longoria were the hostesses, but I’m thinking that Lea Michele was a decent “get” for the luncheon. I mean, it’s not like Lea just goes to the opening of an envelope, right? Oh, wait, she does? Nevermind. Anyway, Lea’s dress is Katherine Kidd… it’s okay. Not stunning. Looks sort of like an oversized baby doll dress. Like, literally, for a doll. And I’m so over Lea’s hair. I wish she would go back to no-bangs.

Anyway, did you hear about this completely dumb controversy about Lea’s pose-harding? Little Sarah Hyland, the 20-year-old, Mila Kunis-look-alike actress from Modern Family, was on an episode of Fashion Police a few weeks ago, and when Sarah and the group (which included Joan Rivers and Guiliana Rancic) began discussing a recent red carpet appearance by Lea Michele, Hyland started joking around and imitating Lea’s always-overboard pose-harding. Here’s the video:

If you’ve ever seen video of Lea posing, you know that Hyland was totally underplaying it. Now, as for whether or not Hyland was being rude… eh. I mean, yes, it was sort of rude, but it’s also funny and pleasantly bitchy (not full-blown bitchy). Anyway, Hyland was attacked by rabid Glee-fans on Twitter, and then on the Emmys red carpet, Hyland tried to half-apologize (but not really) for mocking Lea. If I remember correctly, Hyland even did her Lea impression again, which is kind of awesome. And then Hyland was criticized all over again, to which she tweeted, “I did not intend for my comments to be taken in a malicious way. But I did hate [her] dress. Called her ass great. Did you all hear that one?” And then: “Congrats Lea. You know how to work the red carpet. I can’t take it as seriously as you. I can’t take myself that seriously. I don’t like the red carpet. I feel silly. So props to her for knowing what she’s doing and enjoying it.”

So… Lea has finally spoken about this epic catastrophe. At this Variety event, Lea told Us Weekly, “I gotta be honest. It hurt my feelings a little bit. I really think the message of today is that women should motivate and empower women, and so that’s why I’m honored to be a part of today.” Oh for the love of God. And then Lea wept hyper-dramatic tears and sang a few bars of “Mister Cellophane” and continued to Us Weekly, “I send her love. I think she’s a great person.” So… there you go. Lea Michele and Sarah Hyland hate each other. MEAN GIRLS.

Photos courtesy of Fame.