Sarah Hyland revealed she's previously had 'suicidal thoughts' during her Friday appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The 28-year-old Modern Family actress spoke candidly about her battle with numerous health issues and how her chronic pain led to severe depression. 'I've had, I want to say, six surgeries over the past couple of years,' Sarah revealed during the interview. Smiling through the pain: Sarah Hyland revealed she's previously had 'suicidal thoughts' during her Friday appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show The starlet then disclosed that she'd had up to 16 surgeries throughout her life in total. 'I've had two kidney transplants, I have endometriosis, a whole slew of things.' She also said she'd suffered from gout, which was 'the most painful thing I've ever experienced'. Then when DeGeneres asked if Sarah had ever considered taking her own life, the New York native admitted, 'Yes'. 'After 26, 27 years of just always being sick, of just being in chronic pain every single day, you just don't know when you're going to have the next good day.' Candid: 'I've had, I want to say, six surgeries over the past couple of years,' Sarah revealed during the interview Wow: The starlet then disclosed that she'd had up to 16 surgeries throughout her life in total 'I would write [suicide] letters in my head to loved ones of why I did it, of my reasoning behind it, how it's nobody's fault...' Ellen then asked how close Sarah came to killing herself. 'I was very very very very close,' admitted the actress. But finally a friend advised her to seek therapy - and Hyland said just the process of articulating how hopeless she felt helped her. Brutal honesty: 'I would write [suicide] letters in my head to loved ones of why I did it, of my reasoning behind it, how it's nobody's fault...' Her man: The four-time SAG Award winner says she's feeling much better and can now enjoy her life, including vacations to Mexico with her boyfriend of over a year, Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams. Seen here earlier this month Hyland is 'doing really well,' after recently revealing she had a secret second kidney transplant after her first one failed. The actress originally underwent a kidney transplant after her father donated his organ to her in 2012, but after her body began to reject it, she had a second operation in May 2017, when her younger brother Ian was found to be a match. And now, almost two years on from the second procedure, the four-time SAG Award winner says she's feeling much better and can now enjoy her life, including vacations to Mexico with her boyfriend of over a year, Bachelor in Paradise's Wells Adams.<doc-sep>It has not been an easy time for Sarah Hyland. The 28-year-old Modern Family star, who estimates she's faced 16 surgeries so far, recently revealed she secretly underwent a second kidney transplant in September 2017 after her body began to reject the one her father gave her years earlier. Recalling the experience in an interview with Self, the star also was candid about the depression and suicidal thoughts she experienced during that time, feeling as if she had failed her dad and in fear that she would fail her brother, who donated her a second kidney. Speaking to Ellen DeGeneres on her daytime talk show on Friday, Hyland recalled that "really, really hard" time and how she overcame it. "I have an amazing job, an amazing support system, but…after 26, 27 years of just always being sick and being in chronic pain every single day, you don't know when you're going to have the next good day. It's really, really hard," she told the comedian. "I would write letters in my head to loved ones of why I did it and my reasoning behind it, how it was nobody's fault and I didn't want to write it down on paper because I didn't want anyone to find it because that's how serious I was."<doc-sep>"Modern Family" star Sarah Hyland got real about her lowest point during a visit to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." "I have an amazing job and an amazing support system but after 27 years of being sick and in chronic pain every single day, you don't know when you're going to have the next good day," she explained. "It's really hard." In Friday's episode, the 28-year-old actress, who endured a second kidney transplant and the death of a cousin at the hands of a suspected drunk driver last year, opened up about having suicidal thoughts, a topic she's previously discussed. "I finally said it out loud to someone," she told DeGeneres. "Just saying it out loud helped immensely because I kept it to myself for months and months at a time." What advice does she have for someone in a similar frame of mind? "I think talking to someone and saying it out loud almost makes it sound almost ridiculous but it puts everything into perspective." More: Hyland reveals she hadsecond kidney transplant, contemplated suicide Stars who had a rough year in 2018: Sarah Hyland, Ben Affleck and more The conversation turned considerably lighter when DeGeneres brought up the subject of Hyland's boyfriend, "Bachelorette" Season 12 contestant Wells Adam, who now serves as the bartender on "The Bachelor in Paradise." "I had been watching the 'Bachelor' franchise since I was a kid," Hyland said, explaining how they became a couple. "It was just something my mom and I did together. So I watched his show and that's how we started talking. I would tweet about him because he referenced books. And I was like, 'Oh gosh, Bachelor contestants can read?!? This is amazing. He can read. And he has dimples! This is great.' " More: Hyland's boyfriend Adams praises her for 'never breaking down' amid struggles Suicide Lifeline: If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time of day or night or chat online. Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.<doc-sep>The Modern Family star, 28, got candid about some of her darker days on Friday's The Ellen DeGeneres Show, explaining that at low points, she would consider death by suicide Sarah Hyland is opening up about her battle with depression among a slew of chronic health issues, and how she overcame her own suicidal thoughts. The Modern Family star, 28, got candid about some of her darker days on Friday’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show, explaining that at low points, she would consider death by suicide. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “I was very, very, very close,” Hyland told DeGeneres. “I would write letters in my head to loved ones — of why I did it, my reasoning behind it, how it’s nobody’s fault. And I didn’t want to write it down on paper because I didn’t want anyone to find it. … I didn’t want anyone to know I was that close because if I knew, they would try to persuade me.” “At the time, I was 26, and after 26, 27 years of always being sick and being in chronic pain every single day and you don’t know when you’re going to have the next good day, it’s really, really hard,” she added. The Ellen DeGeneres Show Sarah Hyland and Ellen DeGeneres Hyland has kidney dysplasia, which means her kidneys did not develop properly when she was in the womb and frequently form painful cysts. The condition required a kidney transplant in 2012, one made possible by a kidney donated by her father. But in Oct. 2016, her body started to reject it. The actress then started regularly undergoing dialysis, a temporary treatment where a machine filters blood in and out — which is typically the kidney’s job — that required putting a tube on her chest and led to her severely dropping weight. Doctors removed the transplanted kidney in May 2017 and her younger brother Ian, 23, offered his kidney, which was transplanted in September 2017. It was thankfully a match, though Hyland’s health problems didn’t end there. The actress also has endometriosis and an abdominal hernia. That led to more surgeries — she’s told Degeneres she’s had six in the last 17 months, and 16 total over the course of her life — including a laparoscopic surgery for the endometriosis and a hernia repair surgery. Hyland revealed to DeGeneres that she also had gout, a form of arthritis characterized by severe pain caused when too much uric acid crystallizes and deposits in your joints. “I’ve been through a lot of pain [and] it’s one of the most painful things I’ve ever had,” Hyland said on Ellen. RELATED: How Sarah Hyland’s Modern Family Cast Helped the Star Post-Surgery Throughout it all, Hyland remained working on Modern Family (she was written out of some episodes so that she could recover comfortably). Hyland thanks the cast and her “amazing support system” for helping her through some of her trying times. But ultimately, she had to address her own mental health by herself. “It ended up being myself that got me out of that,” Hyland told DeGeneres, 60. “I had to do it on my own, I told myself I had to do it on my own.” US-ENTERTAINMENT-DISNEY-ABC-MICKEY'S 90TH SPECTACULAR Sarah Hyland | Credit: VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Confiding in someone else also helped. “I’d been saying, ‘I think I need to go see a therapist again,’ And they were like, ‘Why do you need to go see a therapist, you can just talk to me?’ And when I said it out loud they were like, ‘Oh you need to go see a therapist!’ And that’s when I was like, ‘Okay, I don’t think you’re going to help me. I think I need to really do this on my own and really do even more digging and soul searching,’ ” she recalled. “Just saying it out loud helped immensely because I kept it to myself for months and months at a time. And saying it out loud really helped me,” Hyland said. “Every person with their anxiety, or depression, or suicidal thoughts, every individual is different. So I wouldn’t rely on everything I say, I’m just sharing my story. But I think talking to someone and saying it out loud really, really makes it sound almost ridiculous and puts everything in perspective.”<doc-sep>
Sarah Hyland has been more open about her health issues recently, but the star's latest interview might be her most candid yet. The 28-year-old actress sat down with Ellen DeGeneres on Friday to discuss her various struggles — both mental and physical — and how she's been coping with them while still sticking to her acting duties. Endometriosis. Six surgeries in just a few years. Two kidney transplants. These are just a few of the health complications Sarah has dealt with in her life, and they ended up taking a toll on her mental wellbeing, too — so much so that she came "very, very, very, very close" to taking her own life. "After 26, 27 years of just always being sick and being in chronic pain every single day, and you don't know when you're going to have the next good day, it's really, really hard," Sarah told Ellen. The actress added that she even wrote suicide letters in her head, planning out how she would tell her loved ones about her decision, though she never wrote anything down on paper. "It ended up being myself that got me out of that. I had to do it on my own." So what helped pull Sarah out of that dark place? "It ended up being myself that got me out of that. I had to do it on my own," she said, explaining that she mentioned her struggles to a friend. "Saying it out loud helped immensely because I kept it to myself for months and months at a time." While Sarah noted that every person dealing with suicidal thoughts copes differently, she said that simply talking about it with a loved one or therapist can make a world of difference. "Saying it out loud really makes it sound almost ridiculous, and it puts everything into perspective." If you or a loved one are in need of any help, the National Suicide Prevention organization has several resources and a 24/7 lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.