Though Joe Manganiello never imagined he'd be a part of a high-profile relationship, he found the woman of his dreams in wife Sofia Vergara. "I just married the girl that I love. That was it," the Smurfs: The Lost Village star told Ocean Drive magazine. "I really do believe that we were put on the planet to be with each other." The actor and Sofia tied in November 2015 after a year and a half of dating. Joe admitted: "From the first date, it was just like 'wow!' It was so easy in all the ways that you want it to be easy and challenging in all of the most fun ways possible. So I knew right away and that was it."
The actor appears on the cover of Ocean Drive's April issue
Joe was "never part of a celebrity couple" prior to his relationship with the Modern Family actress. He explained: "I never wanted to go through the difficulty that can bring in terms of paparazzi and attention. Those people want to interfere with your serenity; they want to interfere with your relationship. They want to write things that hopefully will instigate trouble in your relationship so they can sell magazines or get clicks. And it’s a really insidious side of the business, as I’ve found out. The two of us knew that once it became public that we were together - and we had conversations about how that would change a lot of things."
READ: Joe Manganiello reveals his thoughtful anniversary gift for Sofia Vergara
However, Sofia was worth the price of a public relationship for Joe. "She is the only woman on the planet that I was willing to go through all of that for. Because she’s the greatest. And all that pressure has just brought us closer together," the 40-year-old said. "It's not something that we welcome into our lives. We try to stay private. At the end of the day, it's really nobody else’s business but ours. It’s just that I love her and she loves me and here we are. And there is a price for that, when living in the public eye."
Joe calls Sofia "the greatest" Photo: Getty Images
Regardless of the limelight, the couple has a "great time" together. "I love just hanging out with my wife," the doting husband said. "We're great, we just laugh all day long. If I had my choice, it would be just jumping in the car with my wife and taking a weekend trip somewhere." Recalling his and Sofia’s 2015 nuptials at the luxurious Breakers Resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Joe revealed: "The marriage is for both of you, but the wedding is for the wife. She wanted to get married here, at the Breakers, which is such an unbelievable hotel. It’s like a European castle on the beach in Florida - it is insane. She expressed that’s where she always wanted to get married, so we flew out and checked it out and it seemed amazing. And that was it."
Joe and Sofia tied the knot in November 2015
READ: Joe's anniversary message to Sofia Vergara in Spanish makes us swoon
He continued: "There are certain things you choose your battles for, and when it comes to the wedding, I recommend every guy out there just do what she wants. My wife was definitely right: It was amazing, the most incredible weekend of my life. It was unbelievable."