Valerie Bertinelli marks two years of ‘freedom’ since Tom Vitale divorce: ‘It does get better’
Valerie Bertinelli is celebrating two years of “freedom” following her divorce from Tom Vitale.
The Food Network alum, 64, took to social media Friday to share a hopeful message with fans, saying life “does get better” eventually.
“I didn’t know how I was going to get through it, but I knew that somehow I would,” the “Hot In Cleveland” alum’s Instagram post read.
“And I did! Today marks two years of freedom. Two years of walking through self doubt and doing my best to get to the other side,” Bertinelli wrote, referring to her ill-fated marriage to Vitale that was finalized in November 2022.
“Two years of knowing that I didn’t deserve to tolerate the intolerable,” she went on. “Two years of working through shame and self loathing (Still working on that part🥴long tail that😅). Two years of working to find my true self.”
Bertinelli credited her most recent boyfriend Mike Goodnough, from whom she recently split after 10 months of dating, for allowing her to “feel love again.”
Bertinelli said she has worked on herself over the last two years by “confronting past demons and traumas” to become the “most authentic” version of herself.
Calling her current chapter her “last,” Bertinelli said she’s “learning that until I love myself and accept myself, all of me, my dark and light sides, I can never give someone else the love and emotional vulnerability that they need and deserve.”
“You must give it to yourself first so that you can share it. Whoo boy. I’m workin on it,” she went on, before thanking her fans and loved ones for being there for her.
“I’m grateful for your feedback. I’m grateful for your compassion,” she wrote. “Most importantly, I want you to know that if you’re struggling right now, I’ve been there and some days I can still be there but I want you to know it does get better.”
“I promise you. It gets better. Some days will still be hard and challenging, but on other days, the light will shine brighter and you will feel it. I love you,” the “One Day at a Time” alum added.
In November 2022, Bertinelli announced that she was “happily divorced” from Vitale.
Bertinelli met the financial planner and entrepreneur — also CEO of e-commerce company Veebow — in 2004 and got engaged in March 2010.
The pair tied the knot in January 2011. After a decade together, the “Valerie’s Home Cooking” host filed for legal separation from Vitale in November 2021.
Bertinelli was married to the late Eddie Van Halen from 1981 until 2007. In October 2020, the legendary rocker died from cancer at the age of 65.
The pair had one child together, son Wolfgang, now 33. Vitale had four of his own children from a previous marriage.
