Actress Sarah Hyland has spoken out about her friendship with country-pop superstar Taylor Swift and described the hitmaker as a genuine girl who is very honest and smart. 

The 'Modern Family' actress told reporters at Sunday's Golden Globes that she's honoured to have a friend like Swift in her life because it's rare to meet 'real' people in the entertainment industry: "She's just the most down-to-earth person. She just seems like a really true friend, and it's just really great to meet people in this industry [like her]." 

Hyland went on to add that for some reason people seem the judge the 'I Knew You Were Trouble' beauty before they actually meet and get to know her in person: "A lot of people I've met have a preconceived idea [about her], at least from tabloids, but she's one of the most amazing people I've ever met." 

The pair, meanwhile, spent New Year's Eve together and Hyland shared a photograph of their celebrations (shown above left), which she captioned with: "New Years with the best of the best @taylorswift13 (I look scared... I think I should be)."

Swift will return to the UK in February for a run of live dates at London's O2 Arena, which will be supported by British rising stars The Vamps.