Varela was engaged to
Billy Zane, her co-star in the 1999 miniseries
Cleopatra, (aired in 1999,
released to video in 2001). She began dating producer Lucas Akoskin in 2011, and they married in April 2013. On 20 November 2012, Varela and Akoskin welcomed their first child together, a son named Matteo. Their daughter, Luna Mae, was born on 25 February 2015. Matteo was diagnosed with
leukodystrophy (specifically
AGS) shortly after his birth. He died at the age of 5 on 16 November 2018. Varela, a
vegetarian, is a marine life activist who is concerned with the welfare of whales, working with groups such as Save The Whales Again. == Filmography ==