Valerie Bertinelli has revealed that unresolved childhood trauma contributed to the end of her marriage to ex-husband Tom Vitale.
During an appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show” on Monday, the 63-year-old actress reflected on taking responsibility for her role in her divorce from her financial planner.
“I can’t just blame my ex-husband for a toxic, horrible marriage,” Bertinelli told Barrymore and co-host Ross Matthews.
Valerie Bertinelli moves on with new boyfriend after dramatic divorce from ex-husband Tom Vitale
Valerie Bertinelli explained why she “can’t just blame” her ex-husband Tom Vitale for their “toxic and horrible marriage.” (ABC/Heidi Guttmann)
Bertinelli continued, “It’s not his fault. What made me do that? Oh, childhood! That’s what I had to start working on.”
Bertinelli, a Valerie’s Home Cooking alum, and Vitale dated for seven years before tying the knot at their Malibu home on New Year’s Day 2011. In November 2021, Bertinelli separated from Vitale after 10 years of marriage. The former couple’s divorce was finalized a year later.
Bertinelli was previously married to the late rock legend Eddie Van Halen, who passed away in October 2020 at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer. Van Halen and Bertinelli have a son, Wolfgang, 33.
The actress and Tom Vitaly finalized their divorce in November 2022. (Greg DeGuire)
In an October 2023 interview on the podcast Out Comes the Sun, Bertinelli shared his perspective on finding the positive side of his painful breakup with Vitale.
“That divorce was really bad and really brought me down to my knees, but I think it’s a gift because I learned a lot about myself through it,” she said.
Bertinelli continued, “I get to learn so much about my personality. I get to learn so much about my own healing. I get to talk more to my inner child, so my This evil part of life has actually become very therapeutic for me.”
“I have a choice every day to be grateful and be thankful, or to just be angry and just want to scream. And I choose to be grateful and grateful. Because I have a lot of Because you can learn things.”
Valerie Bertinelli is currently dating a writer she met on Instagram. (Getty Images)
During an appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” Bertinelli explained that starting his career in the entertainment industry at a young age contributed to his childhood trauma.
Bertinelli rose to fame at the age of 15, playing the role of Barbara Cooper on the hit comedy One Day at a Time, which aired from 1975 to 1984.
“This business can really mess with kids’ heads,” she told Barrymore, who is also a former child star.
“I still think back to my childhood,” she continued. “I’m working on it.”
Valerie Bertinelli (right) rose to fame at the age of 15 when she appeared on “One Day at a Time.” (Photo credit: CBS via Getty Images)
During an appearance on a talk show, Bertinelli also spoke passionately about recently finding love again. Earlier this month, the two-time Golden Globe winner revealed that she is dating an East Coast-based writer 10 years her junior.
Bertinelli explained that her new romance with a younger man, whose name she has not yet revealed, “wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“I wasn’t planning on going on a date. I was planning on dying alone with six cats and a dog and being very happy alone,” Bertinelli quipped. “He wasn’t supposed to come into my life, but here he is. He’s 10 years younger than me.”
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The Delaware native went on to say that her new boyfriend is “amazing.”
“He likes to think he’s a complicated, dark person, but he’s thoughtful and kind and incredibly talented,” she said.
“He’s a great writer,” Bertinelli continued. “He’s gorgeous and so hot. He does that for me. It’s a big deal.”
“We all have our own type. He’s just hot,” she added.
Valerie Bertanelli was ecstatic to find love again with her new, younger boyfriend. (Weiss Eubanks/NBC Universal via Getty Images)
Bertinelli later revealed that her new boyfriend accompanied her to the Barrymore show, which was taped in New York City.
“He’s probably blushing backstage right now,” she says with a laugh, adding that their relationship was “completely unexpected.”
The former Food Network star recalled first finding her future boyfriend on social media many years ago.
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“I actually started following him on Twitter in 2016 or 17. His Twitter followers are really great. He’s very funny, very caustic, very political for the time,” she said. said. “And I started following him. I thought, ‘There’s something about this guy, I could get to know him more.'”
“I was following him and I had a little bit of a butterfly, and then he didn’t follow me for two years,” Bertinelli admitted.
“Then he started DMing me every now and then and following my Instagram account,” she continued. “I followed him again there and then he would send me his DMs from time to time, like sweet, nice comments. Nothing intrusive.”
“He was very friendly. He didn’t want to interact with anyone either.”
The former Food Network star recalled meeting her new love on social media. (Zach Pagano/NBC/NBCU Photobank via Getty Images)
Bertinelli recalled that the two began sending daily DMs in early January. The DMs progressed to text messages, which then progressed to 5 hour daily calls and FaceTiming her.
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“Then I met him in New York a month ago and now he’s gone,” she said.
Bertinelli, who is based in Los Angeles, admitted she plans to live on both coasts from now on as their romance blossoms.
in a recent interview people magazineBertinelli revealed she is making her long-distance relationship work by seeing her new boyfriend every three weeks.
“We won’t go any longer without seeing each other,” she said. “At the end of the day, it’s about finding the joy in life and sharing it.”
