Ariel Winter Says She Left Los Angeles Because She Hated Having Her 'Space Invaded' by Paparazzi

Ariel Winter decided to move away from Los Angeles to pursue a quieter life — at least one away from the flash of paparazzi bulbs.

The Modern Family alum, 24, appeared on the Quitters podcast — co-hosted by her onscreen mom Julie Bowen — to discuss why L.A. wasn't the right place for her to settle down.

"Part of the reason I always hated L.A. is because I have been followed by paparazzi for a very long portion of my life," she said. "And I really, really dislike having my space invaded."

"I don't like pictures of me when I haven't signed up for pictures of me. I don't like feeling watched," she continued. "I've always just wanted to live a very, very normal life, just have a normal existence."

Winter added that life in L.A. is one in which she was expected to accept being constantly on display, with photos seemingly popping up of her everywhere she went.

Ultimately she gave in to the impulse to leave. Winter and boyfriend Luke Benward packed up their things, sold her house and moved to an undisclosed location with their dogs.

"People have always been like, 'You don't like L.A., why don't you just move?' ... And then I just randomly looked and decided, Why not?" she said. "We sold our cars, got an Escalade to fit all the dogs for the drive, put my house on the market and sold my house."

Winter said she's already feeling the relief of leaving the city. "It feels like a different thing here," she explained. "I'm going to get to live some of the young adult [life] I haven't been able to live."

While Winter is settling into a new home, she isn't leaving Los Angeles entirely.

The actress will continue to appear in new projects — including NBC's upcoming series Hungry. Winter is said to have replaced Demi Lovato in the show's lead role, though Lovato still serves as an executive producer on the show.