Actors Sofia Vergara (L) and Joe Manganiello. Photo: AFP

The 38-year-old actor said that he jumped on a plane to take her out to dinner as soon as he heard she had split from her former fiance Nick Loeb last year, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The (editorial director) of People (magazine), Jess Cagle, knew I'd had the hots for Sofia for years, and emailed me saying she had just become single.

"I immediately got in touch with (her co-star) Jesse Tyler Ferguson and was like, 'Jesse, I don't know what her emotional state is, but you gotta tell her I want to take her out'," Britain's Glamour magazine quoted Manganiello as saying.

"He gave me her number, I called and she was like, 'I'm shooting this movie in New Orleans. Why don't we go out when I get back?' I was like, 'No f**king way. I waited four and a half years for you to be single. I'm not going to miss my window'. I got on a plane to New Orleans and took her out. Best decision ever," he added.