Valerie Bertinelli Restarts Life after Selling 'Bad Memories' & End of Rocky Divorce That Changed Her Love View

Valerie Bertinelli had believed she'd spend the rest of her life with her second husband, but after a decade of marriage, she filed for divorce. During the divorce, Tom Vitale wanted lots of money from his ex-wife, and Valerie changed. The star survived the rocky divorce and sold her wedding things, revealing her plans for a new life.

In Valerie Bertinelli's book, "Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time," she revealed that she was frustrated by her first husband, Eddie Van Halen's drinking and smoking when they were married. The star felt she loved Eddie too much for them to divorce.

Leaving their marital home, she went to the beach house they owned, where she complained to her brother about her problems with her husband. Drew asked his famous sister why she didn't divorce Eddie, and Valerie said no.

He asked her why she insisted on living an unhappy life, and his sister finally admitted she'd considered divorce before but refused to do it. Besides the fact that Valerie had promised to love Eddie through thick and thin, they also shared a son, Wolfgang Van Halen.

She wanted Wolfgang to grow up in a two-parent home no matter what it cost her, but she'd started realizing that their son was also suffering. One day, she and her husband had a fallout with her demanding he gets help for his addictions.

Valerie threatened to divorce him if he didn't heed her plea, and instead, Eddie challenged her to go ahead. The Food Network star, who wed the singer on April 11, 1981, was shocked but realized she'd needed to hear those words, and he'd wanted to say them.

She asked if he was sure he wanted them to end things and if the singer was going to choose his addictions instead of his family. Eddie wasn't backing off and noting how her life sucked; the television had to make a choice, saying:

"[I thought,] 'Am I going to continue in this marriage, being this miserable and making him miserable?'"

RELATED: Eddie Van Halen Died in Valerie Bertinelli's Arms in 2020 While She Was Married to Another Man

The couple settled on separating, which lasted for four years; in 2005, Valerie's publicist revealed they were divorcing amicably. At 45, the television star cited irreconcilable differences in her Los Angeles Superior Court divorce filing.

By then, the former couple's son was 14. After Wolfgang's mother separated from his father, she'd anticipated that she'd finish raising him and go away to spend the rest of her life fat with around 40 cats.

The star thought she'd spend the rest of her life alone because she didn't want the responsibility of a relationship as they were "too hard." However, little did she know that she'd find love again.

The Perfect Connection That Led to a Second Marriage

In 2010, Valerie revealed that she met Tom Vitale while healing from her previous marriage. She said Tom opened her up, but she was ready to fall in love again and welcome him because her life had started turning around.

The star was initially introduced to Tom in 2004 by her brother Patrick. He was a father of four children and had recently divorced when they met, so he and Valerie wanted to move on but couldn't trust people yet.

They initially bonded over similar heritages, with Tom being Italian-Sicilian and Valerie Italian. He said they completely understood each other, and his family became hers, but he noted that it wasn't love at first sight.

RELATED: Valerie Bertinelli Sells LA Ranch House for $2.5M after Ex Challenged Prenup amid Divorce

The star's weight never bothered Tom, and she felt beautiful by how he looked at her. She thought he loved her no matter what and was teaching her to love herself just as she was, finding a kind of freedom she never had.

In 2005, Tony Vitale, Valerie's oldest son, moved in with the television personality at her Malibu beachfront home. Tom's younger children only visited, and she was able to master having a blended family.

Valerie noted how she'd never had a male friend like Tom and revealed they had moments where they were immature. The couple talked it out when they disagreed and continued loving each other.

The television star was happy with Tom for six years but wanted more. At age 50, while speaking to People magazine, the "Hot in Cleveland" actress confessed:

"I could have spent the rest of my life with Tom and not be married, but I wanted to call him 'my husband.'"

The couple became engaged in May 2010, and the following year on New Year's Day, they got married in a surprise ceremony at their cliff-side home in Malibu. Valerie revealed how she wanted to share her feelings about Tom with those she loved.

The bride wore a David Meister custom blue silk chiffon gown and Jimmy Choo shoes. She declared that she was "happier than ever!" but sadly, her joy was not meant to last forever.

The End of Another Marriage and Valerie's Vow Not to Marry Again

In November 2021, Valerie sadly filed for legal separation citing "irreconcilable differences." However, by May 2022, she amended her petition and asked for a divorce from the financial planner.

RELATED: Valerie Bertinelli Divorces Younger Husband Who Had Children before They Met — He Asks for Spousal Support

In June 2022, the divorce proceedings were moving forward, with Tom seeking to block his estranged wife from requesting spousal support. He was also challenging the validity of their prenuptial agreement.

After more than ten years of marriage, the Golden Globe winner's ex-husband wanted spousal support. The following month, Valerie responded to Tom's challenge of their premarital agreement.

People said she was looking for "an early and separate trial on the issue of [the] validity of Premarital Agreement." The star wanted a separate trial from any outstanding issues, which came after Tom asked for $200,000 in legal fees and $50,000 monthly in spousal support.

Valerie [Bertinelli] shared that she believed she would be happier that way.

RELATED: Valerie Bertinelli Is Single — Her Divorce Was Finalized after Nearly a Year of Litigation with Her Ex

The television personality argued that their premarital agreement contained a "waiver of temporary and permanent spousal support." During a June 2022 Today interview, the actress became emotional as she spoke about her divorce proceedings, stating: "Divorce sucks."

Valerie said it was hard not to have the person in one's life that you thought you'd spend the rest of your life with. The star vowed never to look for love again because of the challenges she went through with the divorce from Tom, adding:

"I can't image ever trusting anyone again."

She acknowledged having trust issues she needed to work through. Valerie eventually got her divorce after a hard battle and made peace with the end of her second marriage by selling some items.

Valerie's Way Forward after Divorcing Tom

On September 28, 2022, Valerie's divorce from Tom finally went through. The pair settled the matter out of court with a private judge, and details about what was agreed upon weren't publically available.

Almost two weeks before, Valerie created an Instagram post revealing she'd dropped off some items at The Real Real store. She revealed that some things included a couple of Tiffany & Co. rings that held "some bad memories."

The star also noted how the shoes in the image were the ones she wore to her wedding with Tom. In her Today interview, Wolfgang's mother said she would be happier as a divorced woman and planned to live alone for the rest of her life.

Valerie shared that she believed she would be happier that way. The television personality revealed that she wouldn't be completely alone as she would have her son, her dog, six cats, and, maybe one day, grandchildren.