Valerie Bertinelli took to Instagram to celebrate two years of “freedom” since her divorce from Tom Vitale. Posting a quote, the 64-year-old Food Network star marked two years since finalising her divorce from her former husband.
“I didn’t know how I was going to get through it, but I knew that somehow I would,” the quote shared by Bertinelli read.
‘Today marks two years of freedom’
In the caption, Bertinelli wrote, “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. Two years of knowing that I didn’t deserve to tolerate the intolerable. Two years of working through shame and self loathing. (Still working on that part long tail that)”.
The caption continued, “Two years of working to find my true self. Two years of eventually dipping my toe in and feeling love again. (Thank you, Mike). Two years of confronting past demons and traumas and doing my best to work through them. I want to be the best, most authentic version of myself heading into this last chapter of my life. I am 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”.
“I’m so grateful to my friends and family for being with me through all of it. And @therealhoarse, thank you for being such a big part of my growth this year. I’m grateful for our experience and I’m so grateful I met you,”Bertinelli added. “And to all of you in my online community, I’m so grateful for you. I’m grateful for your feedback. I’m grateful for your compassion. Thank you.
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.”
Mike Goodnough, whom Bertinelli mentioned in the caption, is her recent ex.
Bertinelli and Vitale, a financial planner, tied the knot in 2011 after seven years of dating. However, despite their long relationship, things did not work out well. Bertinelli filed for legal separation from Vitale in November 2021, and the two finalised their divorce on November 22, 2022. Earlier this year, Bertinelli told People that she and Vitale “became very unkind to one another” in the days leading up to their split.