Sofia Vergara sued by her embryos

Vergara, 44, was in a relationship with Loeb, a 41-year-old New York businessman, for four years.

Her character in the US comedy show Modern Family is familiar with negotiating domestic crises and rows over children.

And Sofia Vergara, having been locked in a year-long battle over custody of her fertilised eggs, is herself no stranger to family drama. But the legal saga took an extraordinary turn this week as it emerged that the actress is now being sued by her frozen embryos for the right to life.

Emma and Isabella, the names given to the embryos by Vergara's ex-partner Nick Loeb, are named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit which claims that they have a right to live, access to a trust fund and asks that they be raised by Loeb.

The potentially landmark case has been filed in Louisiana because the state legally recognises an in vitro fertilised egg as a "juridical person" until it is implanted in the womb.

Vergara, 44, was in a relationship with Loeb, a 41-year-old New York businessman, for four years.

The couple underwent IVF in 2013 and Vergara's fertilised eggs have since been kept frozen in a fertility clinic in Beverly Hills.

The couple separated in May 2014 and a year later Loeb sued Vergara for custody of the embryos, using pseudonyms that were later leaked.

The twist in the legal battle came on Wednesday when the new right-to-life lawsuit.

Vergara, who earns US$1 million an episode for Modern Family and is now married to True Blood actor Joe Manganiello, has argued against Loeb's wishes. "A child needs a mother and a loving relationship with parents who don't hate each other," she has said previously. "I wouldn't want to bring kids to the world where it's already set against them. It would be so selfish."