Sofia Vergara’s ex-husband Joe Manganiello revealed the massive tattoo he got to cover the scars from his mysterious health battle.On Monday, the actor, 49, took to Instagram to share photos of an enormous colorful dragon tattoo that spanned from the middle of his torso, near his belly button, all the way down to his knee on one leg.He opened up about getting the tattoo as he shared in an excerpt from his new memoir Bloodlines as he posted a snippet from a chapter he titled: ‘Enter the Dragon.’ ‘In chapter four, I related my struggle with the illness to my body sending out knights to fight a (western) dragon that didn’t exist,’ he wrote in his caption.’The soldiers would then punch holes throughout my body when they couldn’t find an enemy,’ Manganiello continued as he referenced grisly photos he shared last week about his autoimmune disease.’The idea to cover my surgery scars with my first tattoo, a three-foot dragon down my right side, was my effort to take back what little agency I felt that I had, and to signal to my body to stop attacking the dragon… because the (eastern) dragon was me…’ Sofia Vergara’s ex-husband Joe Manganiello revealed the massive tattoo he got to cover the scars from his mysterious health battle; pictured in March 2025 His post comes just four days after he revealed he underwent a life-threatening health crisis for seven years and shared harrowing photos as he detailed his experience. (Source: @joemanganiello/Instagram)His post comes just four days after he revealed he underwent a life-threatening health crisis for seven years and shared harrowing photos as he detailed his experience.In his new book, he claimed that when he fell ill, his then-wife Vergara allegedly ‘refused to hug him even when he begged.’ However, he also credited her with saving his life by authorizing the emergency surgery that was performed to remove part of his intestines. In Bloodlines, Manganiello said Vergara, whom he married in 2015 and split from in 2023, was ‘at his bedside’ in the hospital as his condition worsened. Before the surgery, the actor had been struck by excruciating abdominal pain, rashes, fevers, headaches and bleeding from the rectum, causing him to lose 60 pounds over the next seven years. The emergency surgery ultimately resulted in what Manganiello called a ‘life-saving organ amputation,’ and he revealed Vergara made the call to proceed with the drastic measure while he was in surgery. This comes after Manganiello made incendiary claims about Vergara’s alleged behavior during his seven-year battle with an autoimmune disease. He alleged the union became ‘devoid of any emotionality whatsoever’ as his illness took its toll. On Monday, the actor, 49, took to Instagram to share photos of a large, colorful dragon tattoo that spanned from the middle of his torso, near his bellybutton, all the way down to his knee on one leg. (Source: @joemanganiello/Instagram) He opened up about getting the tattoo as he shared in an excerpt from his new memoir Bloodlines as he posted a snippet from a chapter he titled: ‘Enter the Dragon.’ ‘In chapter four, I related my struggle with the illness to my body sending out knights to fight a (western) dragon that didn’t exist,’ he wrote in his caption. (Source: @joemanganiello/Instagram) He said he got the ‘idea to cover my surgery scars with my first tattoo, a three foot dragon down my right side’ amid his seven-year health battle with a mystery autoimmune disease (Source: @joemanganiello/Instagram) Manganiello said in his new memoir that his health began to go downhill shortly after his 2015 wedding to Vergara; pictured in December 2023Manganiello said in his new memoir that his health began to go downhill shortly after his 2015 wedding to Vergara.Manganiello, who believes he is ‘lucky to be alive,’ said pain medication usually prescribed for Crohn’s disease and colitis did not work, and he was ‘forced’ to turn to hydrocodone pills, fentanyl patches and marijuana, despite being sober for 13 years.In the tome, Manganiello said his pain was so severe, he considered taking his own life in 2019, leading him to adopt his chihuahua Bubbles.Manganiello claims that as he desperately searched for treatment, his marriage became ‘devoid of any emotionality whatsoever’ and alleged Vergara ‘refused to hug him even when he begged.’ He also claimed Vergara ridiculed him over Bubbles.’I had to give my gun away because I kept thinking about it, and then the dog came. I went from being the patient to the caretaker,’ he said.Manganiello also again refuted Vergara’s prior claims to the Spanish publication El País that she and Manganiello called it quits because he wanted kids and she did not.He claims his illness led him to give up on starting a family with Vergara after failed IVF attempts, which led them to consider egg donors, with the actor saying he ‘didn’t want to die and leave Vergara with a child who wasn’t biologically hers.’The Daily Mail previously contacted representatives for Vergara and Manganiello for comment and has yet to hear back. In his new book, he claimed that when he fell ill, his then-wife Vergara allegedly ‘refused to hug him even when he begged’; pictured in March 2022 However, he also credited her with saving his life by authorizing the emergency surgery that was performed to remove part of his intestines; pictured in February 2020After Manganiello’s allegations went public, Vergara went viral by sharing a cryptic Instagram post many suspected was aimed at him.Her son Manolo Gonzalez Vergara, 35, had posted a chart comparing ‘good men’ to ‘narcissistic men,’ which his mother then reshared with her own note.’Remember, kids,’ she advised. ‘When dealing with a narcissist, it doesn’t matter how much you do for them, because they will resent you for it and nothing will [ever] be enough, and they’ll always somehow try to paint you as the bad guy.’Only two days after announcing their split, Manganiello filed for divorce in 2023 and listed their date of separation as July 2.The reason for the end of their marriage was cited as ‘irreconcilable differences.’