Joe Manganiello Wooed Sofia Vergara By Using His 2014 'Hottest Bachelor' Title From People Magazine

Joe Manganiello has spilled the juicy details on how he convinced his now-wife, Sofia Vergara, to take an interest in him.

The actor spoke on SiriusXM's "The Jess Cagle Show" and told host Cagle and co-host Julia Cunningham about how he and the "Modern Family" actress met at an awards show but did not get to have a conversation with her.

Their encounter was one that the "True Blood" alum will never forget, as he became a faraway admirer of the actress following their conversation. Eventually, the actor would need a lot of patience, a lucky head start, and his status as Hollywood's Hottest Bachelor at the time to help him pull the strings to persuade Vergara for a relationship after she was still reeling over a breakup.

Read below for more details.

On the entertainment show, Manganiello stated that his first encounter with Vergara came at the MTV Music Awards in 2010, which was attended by the high and mighty of the entertainment industry. For some reason, the two did not have a conversation, but that opportunity would come later at a White House Correspondents Dinner four years after the award show.

"Jesse Tyler Ferguson [Vergara's "Modern Family" co-star] brought her over to me and made her say 'Hi' to me or something. I was like, 'Hi,' you know," he recounted to his hosts. "I was like, 'You know, how's it going? Like your fiancés over there, what are you doing right now?' You know?"

At the time, Vergara was in a relationship with businessman Nick Loeb, and the pair were engaged to get married, preventing Manganiello from shooting his shot there and then. However, much to Manganiello's luck, Loeb and the actress split up, opening a spot for a new guy in Vergara's life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s_1slC_Q0Y

Following Vergara's breakup with Loeb, news of the split was obtained by co-host Cagle, who was going to release it via People. However, before it went viral, the tv personality gave Manganiello the info, which was the lucky chance he needed to get in her good books fast.

Manganiello added, "But then Jess [Cagle], you found out that she was broken up with the guy at the time and you were gonna go public with it on People. And you sent me an email that said, 'We're about to- '"

Cagle interrupted, saying, "Yeah, I gave you a heads up," to which the actor responded, "And that's what I needed. I had a head start."

After learning about the split, the actor would later contact the actress and persuade her to go on a date. For the occasion, Manganiello flew into New Orleans, where the actress was filming "Modern Family," showing a high level of commitment early on, which increased over the coming weeks.

Manganiello recounted that they had "a great first date," after which he had to go and deal with some unfinished business. Once that was over, he returned to New Orleans to make a more significant impression on her.

"So I flew to New Orleans and took her out, and it was a great first date," he told Cagle. "And I went back out to work for a couple of weeks on the road. And then, after those two weeks, I came back to New Orleans, but to see her again. And this time, I was gonna stay a week to see how that went," he explained.

At the time, Vergara wasn't searching for a meaningful relationship after her botched engagement to Loeb. Nonetheless, the actor was unfazed and made a last but persuasive argument to Vergara during their second date, explaining why she should give their relationship a chance.

The "Magic Mike XXL" star informed Vergara that he understood her desire to stay single for the time being. However, the actor made it clear to her that he might not be available when she was ready, but he would not hold it against her if she declined.

With that stated, Manganiello pulled his ace from his sleeve, a People's magazine edition with him on the cover, naming him Hollywood's Hottest Bachelor in 2014.

"'But before you make your answer, hold on.' And I reached into my bag, and I pulled out the People magazine with me as the 'Number One Bachelor in the World,'" he recounted the exchange. "And I put it down on the table, and I said, 'Numero Uno.' And then I slid it across the table to her."

After dating for six months, the couple decided to take their love to the next level by getting engaged in December 2014. They married the following November in Palm Beach, Florida, and have been together ever since.