Valerie Bertinelli Is Officially 'Happily Divorced' from Ex Who Challenged Prenup

• Valerie Bertinelli is officially "happily divorced" from her ex-husband, who challenged prenup and demanded $50K monthly in spousal support.

• Valerie is finally free after her divorce turned ugly.

• She opened up about her plans concerning love after her ex-husband broke her heart.

It is official. Valerie Bertinelli is divorced. It has been a year of waiting, and the news the actress has so longingly awaited is finally here. The "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" actress announced that her lawyer had just called to give her the news that her divorce had gone through.

According to Vitale's filing, the pair has been separated since December 2021, even though Bertinelli's filing says they separated two years earlier. And now, a year after filing for legal separation, she is finally divorced.

In the video announcing the news, taken at the airport on her way to visit her son, she appeared excited and could not help but smile, declaring in her tweet: "11.22.22, second best day of my life." She disclosed that the divorce papers were signed and were about to be filed before saying:

"Happily divorced. God, finally! It's finally over."

Why Did Valerie Bertinelli's Divorce Turn Ugly?

Things between Bertinelli and Vitale may seem pretty nasty now, but that was not always the case. The pair had a fantastic start to their relationship. They met in 2007, a short while after "The Promise of Love" actress finalized her first marriage to the late rocker Eddie Van Halen with whom she had a son, Wolfgang Van Halen.

They courted for years and took their relationship a step further after Vitale proposed in 2010. Bertinelli was happy with her fiancé, a fact her trainer confirmed:

"She's thrilled to be with the man she loves."

The actress confessed that she could have spent all her life with Vitale and not married him. However, she'd always wanted to call him her husband and desired to share her feelings for Vitale with the world. The best way to do that was through their Malibu wedding in 2011.

Reports say the pair was already in the honeymoon phase long before they walked down the aisle and continued long after. Even so, they still ensured they signed a prenuptial agreement before they exchanged vows and rings.

Following their nuptials, the pair shared plenty of good times, personally and business-wise. They worked and played together, with the financial planner sometimes appearing in his wife's show "Valerie's Home Cooking" and her sitcom "Hot in Cleveland." They also launched Veebow, a tech marketing business.

On several occasions, Bertinelli and those close to her opened up about how happy her husband made her, and their union only seemed to get better. Thus, it was a shock to many when Bertinelli announced she had filed for legal separation a decade later, citing irreconcilable differences.

After she filed, Vitale challenged their prenup and sought to block Bertinelli from requesting spousal support. He also later asked the court to award him $50,000 monthly in spousal support and to pay $200,000 in legal fees.

The divorce dragged on for nearly a year, with Bertinelli confessing that she would be happy to spend the rest of her life alone. Speaking to Hoda Kotb, the actress admitted that the divorce process sucked, and she could never imagine trusting anyone again.

In September, she posted an Instagram post announcing that she was selling the Tiffany & co wedding bands and Jimmy Choo shoes she got married in, accompanying the caption with photos of a couple of rings and heels.

What Does Valerie Bertinelli Think about Love after the Divorce?

Amid her nasty divorce, Bertinelli noted that she would not be looking for love. She confessed she would be happy as a single woman and would rather spend her life alone. She says she will be happier and looks forward to spending time with her pets and her future grandkids.

"I’ll be happy that way."

However, even as she shuns the idea of love, she still celebrates it and is happy for her son, who got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Andraia Allsop. She looks forward to becoming a grandmother to his children one day.