Ariel Winter & Luke Benward ‘Having Fun’: She’s ‘Happier Than Ever’ 4 Months After Levi Meaden Breakup

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Ariel Winter and Luke Benward were close friends for years before their relationship took a romantic turn, and they seem to be a perfect match!

Ariel Winter, 21, may not be ready to put a label on her relationship with Luke Benward, 24 — but she is definitely enjoying herself! “She’s definitely having fun with Luke right now,” a source close to the actress reveals to HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “Despite being seen with Luke, Ariel is considering herself finally single and happier than she has been in a long time. She takes her relationships very seriously and when she falls in love she throws every bit of herself into into it.” Ariel and Luke were close friends for years before things took a romantic turn, and have plenty of common given their early starts in the entertainment industry.

It was confirmed that Ariel ended her longterm relationship with Breaking Bad star Levi Meaden, 32, on Oct. 11 — but the split reportedly occurred in August. The Modern Family star and the Canadian actor dated for three years, and also lived together at her Los Angeles area home. Though the pair seemed like a solid couple, age difference ultimately played a role: 21-year-old Ariel didn’t want to be a homebody, and felt like she was losing touch with her friends through the relationship. “Ariel absolutely loves going out and is enjoying single life and partying up a storm,” the source adds. “Finally now she is back to her old self and her friends are over the moon. Everyone sees how happy she is right now.”

Shortly after news of her break-up with Levi went public, Ariel was seen having dinner with Luke at a Studio City sushi spot. While things seemed platonic at the the time, things took a turn at some point over the past few weeks as they were apparently seen kissing in LA on Sunday, Dec. 8! “She’s considered him one of her best friends for quite some time now and he’s been in her life for awhile,” the insider also adds. Ariel and Luke hit the town for another date at sexy hotspot Delilah on Dec. 11, where they didn’t hold back on the PDA: Luke was looking pretty cozy with Ariel as he placed his arms on her lower back and hips.

As for Ariel and Levi, there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood between the exes: Levi and Ariel were spotted sharing a sweet hug on Oct. 20 in Los Angeles. The 21-year-old also didn’t seem to be in a rush for Levi to move his things out of her house, as he wasn’t spotted loading up his belongings in a U-Haul truck until Dec. 8. — the same night she was spotted making out with Luke. Ariel was reportedly the one who ended the relationship.