Valerie Bertinelli has tearfully detailed her life-long struggle with weight loss while hitting back at a critic who body-shamed her online, saying the comment is ‘not f**king helpful.’
The Food Network host, 61, opened up on her Instagram Stories on Thursday, explaining that she was going through her recipes online when she ‘made the mistake of reading the comments.’
‘Someone … decided to point out that I needed to lose weight,’ Bertinelli said, her voice filled with emotion as she spoke to the camera.
Hurt: Valerie Bertinelli, 61, opened up on her Instagram Stories about her life-long struggle to lose weight and keep it off after she was body-shamed by an online troll
‘Because see, I don’t have a scale or I don’t have clothes that I’m trying to put on every day and I don’t have mirrors so I don’t see what’s become of me,’ she added, sarcastically. ‘So I needed that help to let me know that I need to lose weight.’
The actress stressed that she is frustrated with her ongoing struggle to lose weight, saying people should empathetic, not judgmental.
‘You’re not being helpful,’ she explained. ‘Because when you see somebody who has put some weight on, my first thought is, “That person is obviously going through some things.” Because if I could lose the weight and keep it off, I would.
‘But since I haven’t been successful with that my whole entire life — at 61 I’m still dealing with [it]. You think I’m not tired of it, lady? Where’s the compassion? she asked. ‘Not f**king helpful.’
Regret it: Bertinelli said she ‘made the mistake of reading the comments’ while going through her recipes online and saw that someone told her she ‘needed to lose weight’
Hitting back: Bertinelli sarcastically pointed out that she has a scale, mirrors, and clothes that remind her daily that she has put on weight
Back off: The actress stressed that the person was ‘not being helpful,’ saying she would lose weight and keep it off if she could
Hours later, Bertinelli shared the video on her Instagram feed, admitting in the caption that she had initially planned on deleting the footage but decided against it.
‘Aren’t we tired of body shaming women yet?!’ she wrote. ‘I was going to delete my stories because it’s a little embarrassing and scary to be so vulnerable.
‘But then I realized it was hitting it a “good” nerve with so many of you who were so sweet to dm and share your same vulnerability and struggles,’ she continued.
‘We all could use a little more kindness and patience and grace, because we just never know what someone else is going through.
‘So here it is. Not deleting. Owning it.’
Best shape of her life: Bertinelli lost nearly 50 pounds in 2009 thanks to the Jenny Craig program and consistent workouts. She celebrated by posing for a bikini shoot
Grieving: In the past five years, she lost both her father Andy and mother Nancy, who died in 2016 and 2019, respectively
Heartache: While grieving the loss of her parents, her ex-husband, rock icon Eddie Van Halen, passed away in October at age 65. They’re pictured in 1992
In 2009, Bertinelli lost nearly 50 pounds thanks to the Jenny Craig program and consistent workouts, but the weight crept back over the years. She fractured her foot in 2013 and needed surgery, which prevented her from hitting the gym.
After her father Andy died in 2016, she focused on caring for her mother Nancy, who passed away three years later. While struggling with the grief of losing both of her parents, her ex-husband, rock icon Eddie Van Halen, passed away in October at age 65.
Bertinelli and Van Halen were married from 1981 to 2007 and share a son, Wolfgang. She and her husband Tom Vitale have been married since 2011.
The One Day at a Time star wrote about learning to stop judging herself so harshly for gaining some weight, or showing signs of aging, in her upcoming book Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I am Today.
Hit show: Bertinelli started alongside Bonnie Franklin and Mackenzie Phillips on the popular show One Day At A Time (pictured in 1975)
Looking back: Bertinelli (pictured in 1985) has struggled with body-image issues since she was a child
Acceptance: Bertinelli (pictured in 2019) wrote about learning to stop judging herself in her upcoming book Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I am Today
‘This book is about letting go of the mindset that made me feel broken and always trying to fix something about myself,’ she told People. ‘It’s the most personal, intimate writing I’ve done.’
Coming soon: Bertinelli’s new book will be released in January 2022
‘I explore the things that I have gone through and continue to deal with in getting to where I am today — topics that I think will be familiar to many people — my relationship to food, being a mom, mid-life career changes, aging parents, saying goodbye to loved ones, and asking why the hell have I been so hard on myself for so long,’
Bertinelli has also been confirmed as part of the cast of the upcoming NBC comedy pilot, Hungry — which has been described as being about ‘a group of friends with food issues.’
The Daytime Emmy-winning actress is currently set to appear alongside Demi Lovato in the forthcoming single-camera feature that the 28-year-old singer will both star in and executive produce.
The pilot was originally greenlit earlier this year, and Hot In Cleveland creator Suzanne Collins will both write episodes and serve as a producer on the project.
Bertinelli is set to portray Lisa, an emotionally turbulent restaurant owner who is also the mother of Teddy, who will be played by Lovato.
The character serves as the lead’s confidant and best friend while also dealing with her own issues at the same time.
Other performers who have been confirmed to be appearing in the forthcoming comedy pilot include Anna Akana, Rory O’Malley, and Alex Brightman.