After years of personal growth and healing, Valerie Bertinelli is opening up about a deeply personal new chapter in her life.
The beloved TV star recently got candid about what it really feels like to step back into the dating world. Her honest reflections reveal both the excitement and emotional weight that come with putting her heart on the line.
Valerie Bertinelli Admits She’s ‘Scared’ of Dating
GettyIn an interview with for the 2026 L.A. Times Festival of Books on Saturday, April 18, Valerie Bertinelli opened up about dating again, reported PEOPLE Magazine.
“I have yet to put some things into action in personal relationships, intimate relationships, because I’m really scared of dating right now. I’ve had, you know, two [divorces]. … I’m just scared,” Bertinelli explained.
“Being vulnerable with someone is a superpower because it can connect you to people. It can connect you and make a relationship much more powerful,” the beloved television personality continued.
“But you do have to be careful with your superpower, and you have to be careful of who you share your vulnerability with. But by sharing it in a book, I’m able to give myself the power to just get to know it and be comfortable with it.”
The actress, known for her work on the TV series “One Day at a Time” and “Hot in Cleveland” was married two times. She wed Eddie Van Halen in 1981, and they divorced in 2007. Then, she married Tom Viatle in 2011, whom she divorced in 2022.
Valerie Bertinelli is Searching For a ‘Calm’ Relationship
“There’s so many great men out there, but I don’t want them to make me crazy, and I don’t want to make them crazy,” Bertinelli explained. “I haven’t been with that many people and I haven’t gone on a lot of dates either. I want calm, I don’t want butterflies.”
“Now my therapist says, ‘You just had a bad experience with butterflies last time out. So why don’t you just wait and see what happens.’ I have to know they’re butterflies and not anxiety … I have to learn to differentiate,” she deduced.
The actress added in a YouTube interview, “I am very happy being alone right now because I feel safer. I don’t know how to feel safe around a man.”
“I know I’ve learned a lot,” she continued. “This is weird too. I give people the benefit of the doubt until they really prove me wrong. I want to believe all people are good,” she concluded.
In her new book “Getting Naked,” Bertinelli discusses her vulnerabilities and addresses her emotions as she becomes the best version of herself.
The book’s title comes from the actresses’ yearning for emotional honesty. The phrase reflects her decision to strip away the layers she’d built up over the years and speak openly about her struggles with body image, self-worth, relationships, and life in the public eye.
Valerie Bertinelli currently stars in the Lifetime movie, “Love Again” as Caroline, a woman whose world is turned upside down when her husband, Henry (Henry Czerny), is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Leo (Eric McCormack) offers Caroline love, support, and a companionship when she needs it the most.
“Love, Again” premieres Saturday, May 9, at 8 p.m. ET.
