Valerie Bertinelli is opening up about the emotional toll of losing a high-profile speaking job after gaining weight.
“I was so horrified,” she said Hot in Cleveland star, 65, told the host Drew Barrymore on a recent episode of his daytime talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show. Bertinelli’s confession on the Jan. 14 show has made headlines as he prepares to release his new book. getting nakedin March 2026.
Bertinelli reflected on that painful experience during a game of “Memory Bank,” in which stars look back on key moments in their lives. The One day at a time Alum recalled his 2012 Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
“You look stunning,” Barrymore said after seeing a picture of her interviewee in a white lace dress with an above-the-knee hem. Bertinelli completed her look with voluminous volume and open heels, opting for dainty jewelery including a chic bracelet.
Valerie Bertinelli at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2012.
GettyBertinelli, who now promotes self-acceptance, said she felt the opposite.
“I started a diet program and then became their spokesperson in 2007 and had lost 50 pounds,” she shared. “Life started getting better for me.”
She added: “I wasn’t taking care of my mental and emotional health, so the weight started coming back. And I think that was the last year I was with this diet company. And they fired me and finally said, ‘We can’t continue with you because you’re gaining weight again.’
Bertinelli was disappointed to lose her job, considering her weight had fluctuated before and she still had a smaller figure than when she started her fitness journey.
“I remember thinking, ‘But a size 12 isn’t that big!'” she shared about his appearance at that time. “But I had gone down to a size 4, which was too small for me and impossible to keep.”
Bertinelli said it’s been an ongoing struggle for her as the weight goes “up and down, but pretty much, basically, this weight for my whole life that I’m right now, and I’m a size 10 right now.”
Since then, she has learned to become more comfortable in her own skin and is grateful to have taken these steps.
“My mental and emotional health, even though I’m in tears, is so loud right now“, the Losing It: And Getting My Life Back One Pound At A Time said the author. “I’m so strong and steadfast in who I am and no matter what people throw at me, I know who I am and I know what kind of person I am and it doesn’t matter what I weigh.”
Valerie Bertinelli is making a big, but scary, career move. Bertinelli, 65, revealed via Instagram on June 9 that he will return to acting in an upcoming Lifetime project. While the Food Network star didn’t share details about the project, she did admit that she’s “so grateful, if not a little anxious.” “It is a (…)
As for the lace dress, it’s still in her closet. “And I’m fine,” Bertinelli said proudly. “It’s a little less comfortable than there is, but I just. Anyway, it doesn’t matter how big we are. What’s our heart?”
Barrymore wholeheartedly agreed, noting that it’s important to focus on “what’s healthy for you” versus what society considers thin and overweight.
“You’re right!” Bertinelli replied. “What is healthy for you? What is healthy mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically?”
Looking ahead, his new book will include “intimate and vulnerable essays“, in which he explores various themes such as “aging, love, friendship, secrets and acceptance”.
getting naked will be released on March 10th and is currently available for pre-order.