Ariel Winter and boyfriend Luke Benward made the most of his 25th birthday on May 12 despite the coronavirus lockdown. The couple, who started dating in late 2019, have been quarantined together but celebrated Luke’s special day in a big way. The 22-year-old Modern Family star had all of their pals do a drive-by past her house where they could wave, show their love, and even receive Krispy Kreme donuts as a thank-you from the birthday boy — SEE PHOTOS HERE. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with multiple sources close to the happy couple who dished on why it was so “special” to have their loved ones with them on Luke’s birthday.
“Ariel and Luke have been so careful about who they surround themselves with during this quarantine and felt that by the time Luke’s birthday came around it was okay to celebrate from a distance with those that they knew had been just as cautious,” one pal explained. “They have a great group of friends they’ve known for years and not only did they make sure to take an extra level of safety by having a drive through birthday celebration but they weren’t hugging anybody and didn’t see anything wrong by thanking their friends for stopping through to celebrate with them. It meant so much to them for so many of their friends to go out of their way like that.”
Another insider close to Ariel and Luke, who have been friends for years, revealed, “Ariel doesn’t know how she could have handled all this [COVID-19} without Luke. He’s her rock, any time she is down he knows exactly how to make her feel better. He’s so much more than just a boyfriend to her, he really is her best friend. They can spend hours just doing nothing and it’s fun because they’re together. And she loves hanging out with his family too, she’s very close to them too. Of course just like everyone else Ariel is getting antsy, she and Luke had a lot of travel plans that had to be put on hold. They both really want to go somewhere amazing with all their friends as soon as they can.”
“Ariel and Luke would love to be doing a hell of a lot more for his birthday but just like everybody else they have to adapt to their situation and for Luke this was actually pretty special,” a third source explained. “He got to see people who are important in his life and he was with Ariel and his family so he can’t really ask for much more, especially since he knows that they will have plenty of time to celebrate when there is a chance to go out. It was fun to mix things up from being holed up all the time, made them both realize what they have and they really enjoyed being with friends. It gave them ideas to continue to think outside the box so they continue to have fun and not get stir crazy as the weeks and months continue. Ariel is especially happy that she was able to finish Modern Family before everything shut down so she can put lots of her focus on the relationship which is absolutely thriving right now.”
As we previously reported, a source close to the power couple EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife that this time is only “bringing them closer”. “Ariel and Luke have spent so much time together these past few months so it was a natural decision for them to quarantine together,” the insider explained. “If anything, this situation is only bringing them closer and giving them a glimpse of what life would be like if they lived together. The fact that they had been close friends for years allowed them to build a connection on more than physical attraction so they truly have a blast whenever they’re together.”