Where the Ugly Betty cast is now – From suicide tragedy to Olympics glory

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Ugly Betty aired its last ever episode on this day 11 years ago (April 14, 2010) after four seasons, 85 episodes and plenty of celebrity cameos.

The show has seen a resurgence in popularity recently, after it was added to streaming service Disney+ when Starz joined the roster.

The show followed style disaster Betty Suarez, played by America Ferrera, as she landed a job at a fashion magazine and navigated her way through backstabbing colleagues and a demanding love life.

Viewers fell in love with Betty, her family and work friends, before the show came to an end due to low ratings.

But what happened to the stars after the untimely cancellation of the cult favourite?

America Ferrera – Betty Suarez

America, 36, landed a major West End role after Ugly Betty, playing Roxie Hart in Chicago in London.

She continued acting, while also picking up some directing jobs, notably on the telenovela Pedro & Maria – though it never actually ended up airing.

Since 2015, America starred as Amy in Superstore, but she decided to leave to go after new roles after the fifth series.

Thankfully for fans, the Covid pandemic shut down production last year, so the decision was made to delay America's exit until the next season, so her character could get a full storyline.

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America is married to actor, director and writer Ryan Piers Williams, and they have two children together – a son, Sebastian, and a daughter, Lucia.

Away from acting, America is very politically active and publicly supported Hillary Clinton's campaign back in 2008.

She spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, alongside Girls star Lena Dunham.

Sadly, she also had her own experience to share during the #MeToo campaign.

In October 2017, the actress revealed she had been sexually harassed when she was just nine years old.

Eric Mabius – Daniel Meade

Eric, 49, played Betty's hunky boss and serial womaniser Daniel Meade, who was in charge of the fashion magazine Mode.

In the years since Ugly Betty ended, Eric has continued acting, though he hasn't landed any stand-out roles like Daniel Meade.

In 2013 he landed a guest spot in crime drama Scandal, as well as a role on Blue Bloods in the same year.

Things picked up in 2015 when he landed seven episodes in Chicago Fire.

Since then, he has played lead character Oliver O'Toole in countless television films in the Signed, Sealed, Delivered franchise on the Hallmark Channel.

The actor, who is married to Ivy Sherman and father to two children, Maxfield and Rylan, also had a career in sport before entering television and film.

In the 1980s he was a luger, and he was named as an honorary captain of the US luge team at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Astronaut Scott Parazynski shared the title with him.

Vanessa Williams – Wilhelmina Slater

Vanessa, 58, played the villain everyone loved to hate, Wilhelmina Slater, who was hell-bent on taking control of Mode.

After Ugly Betty, Vanessa wasted no time in continuing her television career, as she landed the lead role of Renee Perry in the final two seasons of Desperate Housewives.

She continued to make other smaller roles in the following years, while also lending her voice to numerous animated series and films.

The former pageant queen has had guest spots on the likes of RuPaul's Drag Race, Broad City, Modern Family, The Mindy Project and The Good Wife.

In fact, Vanessa seemed to enjoy her multiple judging stints on Drag Race, that she joined the cast of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race last year.

She got made up as larger-than-life Vanqueisha De House and was crowned the winner of her episode.

In March 2016, the former Miss America 1984 launched a clothing line – V. by Vanessa Williams.

The star has been married three times, with her most recent husband being businessman Jim Skrip, after they walked down the aisle in 2015.

Ana Ortiz – Hilda Suarez

Ana, 50, played Betty's sister Hilda, who provided plenty of comedy – and heartbreak – in the series.

After Ugly Betty, the actress hit a bit of a rough patch as she landed roles in shows which were not picked up by their respective networks.

However in 2012, she landed a lead role on Devious Maids, which ended up airing on Lifetime in the US.

She played Marisol Duarte in 49 episodes between 2013 and 2016, before going on to land guest roles in shows such as Revenge, How to Get Away with Murder and Family Guy.

Ana has given her voice to a number of Disney productions, including Elena of Avalor and Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Most recently, she has been appearing in teen drama Love, Victor as Isabel Salazar.

The show, which airs in the UK on Disney+, is set to premiere its second season in June this year.

The beauty is married to musician Noah Lebenzon and they have two children together – Paloma and Rafael.

Like some of her co-stars, Ana is vocal about specific causes – in particular domestic abuse.

She has spoke of her experiences with domestic abuse in her 20s, explaining how a romance turned physically abusive.

Becki Newton – Amanda Tanen

Becki, 42, played air-headed receptionist with a heart Amanda Tanen, who was a fan-favourite character in Ugly Betty.

The role is still her her most recognisable, however she had appeared in How I Met Your Mother as Quinn Garvey too.

In 2019, Becki teamed up with her former co-star Michael Urie for a new project called Fun, however it was not picked up by any television network.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the blonde beauty would be starring as Lorna Taylor in the upcoming Netflix series The Lincoln Lawyer.

Away from acting, Becki and her husband Chris Diamantopoulous have three children together – a son and two daughters, with the youngest born last year.

Becki actually met her actor husband Chris in a subway station in New York, and they tied the knot in 2005.

Michael Urie – Marc St James

Michael, 40, played Wilhelmina's sassy right hand man and Amanda's best friend, Marc St James.

He has continued to have a steady acting career after Ugly Betty, with repeat roles in the likes of Partners, Modern Family, The Good Wife and Younger.

The star has also turned his hand to directing and producing, as well as making numerous appearances in stage productions – even playing Hamlet in a 2018 run of the famous Shakespeare show.

Last month, it was announced that Michael would be starring in an upcoming romantic comedy about gay men which is set to land on Netflix.

Michael's character Peter tries to convince his best friend to join him at his family's for the holidays and pretend they're in a relationship, to avoid questions about his eternal single status, however things go wrong when Peter's mum sends him on a blind date with a handsome personal trainer.

The star previously described himself as "a member of the LGBT community" and he has been in a relationship with fellow actor Ryan Spahn for more than 10 years.

He told The Advocate that he identifies as "queer" and explained he had been with women previously.

Mark Indelicato – Justin Suarez

Mark, 26, played Betty's nephew and Hilda's son Justin Suarez, who was obsessed with all things fashion.

Ugly Betty has been his biggest role to date, though he has had appearances in series and films such as Dead of Summer and White Bird in a Blizzard.

After the show ended, Mark took a break to go to university, where he focused on International Relations and Gender Studies.

While his acting credits are few and far between nowadays, he keeps his fans regularly updated on Instagram, where he shows off his eclectic style.

Sadly, his time on Ugly Betty wasn't all positive.

Mark – who was just a teenager when he played Justin – revealed on an episode of Dr Phil that he had been sent death threats and been hit by verbal abuse due to his role on the show.

Ashley Jensen – Christina McKinney

Ashley Jensen, 51, played Betty's close friend and Mode seamstress Christina McKinney, appearing to some extent in all four seasons.

She had to leave the show during the third season when production relocated from Los Angeles to New York, however she made a return for a guest spot in the final season.

The Scottish actress has mainly appeared in UK-based shows since Ugly Betty, with roles in the likes of Love and marriage, Catastrophe, Trust Me, and Ricky Gervais' Netflix smash hit After Life.

Ashley also narrated Embarrassing Bodies between 2007 and 2015.

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The star tragically lost her husband of 10 years in 2017, when he took his own life.

Ashley met husband Terence Beesley when they were appearing in a production of King Lear in Manchester together in 1999, with the duo tying the knot in 2007.

The couple had a son together – Francis.

Terence sadly died at their Somerset home aged 60 in November 2017, with an inquest in 2018 ruling his death was suicide, by carbon monoxide poisoning.

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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