Sarah Hyland appeared on The Meredith Vieira Show on Monday, where she broke her silence about her experience getting through an abusive relationship.

Sarah Hyland On Abusive Relationship

Following the release of the video of Ray Rice attacking his now-fiancée Janay Plamer, domestic violence became a hot topic in the media. At that time, Meredith Vieira detailed her experience dealing with an abusive partner, revealing how she finally gained the courage to leave the relationship. Stating how important it is to share such experiences, she asked Hyland how she’s come through her own adversity.

"There are two quotes that I want to say," Hyland began. "One is a Dylan Thomas poem: ‘Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light,’ which is one of my favorite poems. It just strikes a chord in me; and also Robert Frost: 'The only way out is through.'"

Hyland added, "People have to go through things in order to become the person they are today, and that's that."

Back in September, Hyland sought a restraining order against her former boyfriend Matt Prokop, whom she had dated for five years. In her filing, Hyland detailed incidents of both physical and verbal abuse. “His grip was so tight that I could not breathe or speak. I was scared and in fear of my life,” Hyland says in the documents obtained by TMZ. After their breakup, Prokop, “relentlessly bombarded me with vile, threatening and emotionally disturbing texts and voice mails including his own suicide threats,” according to Hyland.

A temporary restraining order was granted in September. On Oct. 6, Hyland was grated a three-year restraining order against Prokop, which stipulates that he must stay 100 yards from her, her house and her dog. Furthermore, he is not permitted to go near where she’s working, confront her dog Barkley or purchase a firearm.