Sofia Vergara struggled to come to terms with cancer news

Colombian actress Sofia Vergara was hesitant to take doctors' advice and undergo surgery when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer - because her health was "perfect".

Medics found a lump on The Modern Family star's neck, but she struggled to come to terms with the news she had cancer because she hadn't experienced any symptoms and couldn't see anything wrong with herself physically.

She eventually agreed to go under the knife to remove the thyroid gland and is now cancer-free - but it wasn't an easy decision for her to make because the surgery could have cost her her speech and the control of her facial muscles.

In a new interview with Nightline, she says, "I was very young, and when they tell you that word (cancer), it's like, 'What are you talking about?' You always think 'death'... That's all you think when they tell you that. So it was... pretty scary.

"When you're perfect, to make the decision of going through all these, you know, operations and treatment, it's a nightmare, because you're feeling healthy."