Valerie Bertinelli, 63, Shows Pics of Her 'Overweight' Body in a Swimsuit, Sparking an Online Stir

Valerie Bertinelli recently shared a photo of herself in a swimsuit and shared her firm views on her body and self-confidence. Since she shared the image, her followers have weighed in.

Valerie Bertinelli, at 63, shared a throwback photo of herself in a swimsuit from 2014 on social media, accompanied by the caption stating, "This is a 150lb body on a 5'4 frame. [...] This is considered overweight." This post has ignited a flurry of support and admiration online.

One follower stated: "Aging strong not skinny is where it's at!" Bertinelli's openness about her body image, even looking back, has elicited responses ranging from "you're so real" to exclamations of surprise and appreciation: "Oh my goodness," "I am beyond speechless," and "You look better than a model."

Reflecting on her journey, Bertinelli recounted a pivotal moment years ago. As she contemplated her perennial goal to lose "the same 10 lbs. I had been trying to lose for the past forty years," she experienced a profound shift in perspective. One morning, as she stepped onto her scale, she knew she could no longer keep the habit.

This introspection led Bertinelli, a renowned star and Food Network host, to a significant realization about self-worth and the futility of tying it to the scale. The passing of her ex-husband, Eddie Van Halen, in October 2020 further catalyzed her reflection on what truly matters in life — a narrative she explores in her memoir, "Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today."

Bertinelli's transformation is not just about rejecting the scale; it's about embracing life's joys and finding contentment beyond physical appearance. "The goal is to live in the moment," she emphasizes, advocating for a life appreciated for its beauty and simplicity rather than constrained by weight.

In her candid reflections, Bertinelli touches on the challenges of overcoming decades of societal conditioning. She recalled her mother being badly treated by her father for her weight, sharing the painful memories of being judged on her appearance from a young age. Yet, her message remains hopeful and empowering, as she is learning that one's body is not what makes one lovable.

Bertinelli is now learning that she doesn't have to wait until she's lost weight to treat herself and others with kindness. The TV personality shared that she now understands it doesn't matter how she looks so long as she is kind to herself.

Bertinelli is not the only famous actress who sparked a stir with her swimsuit snapshots. As we previously reported, a photo of Helen Mirren posing at the beach even went viral:

In 2008, Mirren and her husband were having a wonderful Italian beach vacation. She said they trekked over cacti just to get to a swimming spot with nobody else around, just as her hubby liked it.

She took a snap of the director and, in turn, struck a pose for him. The moment she sucked in her stomach, she saw a flash in the distance in the hills and went down "spread-eagle" on the rocks to get out of the shot of a perceived paparazzo.

When her husband turned around, the photographer was effectively hiding, and he called his wife "paranoid." Three days later, a photo of a 63-year-old Mirren looking into the distance in her bikini, hand held over her brow, was posted by a tabloid and went viral.

Recounting the event on season seven of "Ellen" a few years later, the dame said the shot was "pure luck." She deadpanned, "I look at that picture and say, god, I wish I look like that. But I don't."

The actress explained that just a week before, she had been on a public beach with hundreds of people around in France, and no one bothered to take her photograph. Ellen DeGeneres joked that now we know why she was in such great shape, with her "scaling cactuses and mountains."