Valerie Bertinelli’s divorce from her husband, Tom Vitale, was recently finalized, and she could hardly contain her joy. She announced the news this past Tuesday and called it the “second best day” of her life.
She received the news just in time for the holidays as she was at the airport preparing to fly out and see her son Wolfgang when her phone rang. On the phone, her lawyer confirmed that the documents had been filed and the divorce was official.
The officiality of the divorce came almost exactly a year after she initially filed for legal separation on November 24, 2021. In May, she changed the filing from legal separation to divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences” as her reason.
Bertinelli previously said she wouldn’t seek out love again after her divorce and would be “happily single.” Her reaction to the finalization of the divorce confirmed those prior sentiments.
She stopped what she was doing and filmed a quick video to let her viewers hear the news. In the video, she stated, “On 11/22/22, I am officially f*****g divorced. Happily divorced. God, finally. It’s finally over.”
Her video was reassuring to fans as it showed she is ready to happily embrace single life after going through a difficult divorce.
Inside Valerie Bertinelli’s and Tom Vitale’s divorce
Bertinelli’s video marked a rare occasion where she explicitly spoke about her divorce from Vitale. She has largely refrained from discussing it and chosen not to share the reasons behind it.
Based on what she has shared, this was not an easy divorce. In an emotional interview with the TODAY Show, she opened up about how she would have trust issues in the future due to her divorce from Vitale.
That was the same interview in which she swore off love. She stated, “Because of the challenges that I’m going through right now, because divorce sucks, I can’t imagine ever trusting anyone again to let into my life.”
Some of her relief at the divorce being finalized may have been due to the divorce not going wholly smoothly. This past summer, Vitale threatened to prolong the divorce proceedings when he challenged his and Bertinelli’s prenup agreement.
In opposition to the agreement, he demanded $50k a month in spousal support from Bertinelli, as well as another $200k to pay his legal fees.
Though Vitale was formerly a financial planner, he was found to be working at a post office post-divorce and making $16 an hour, which may have spurned his spousal support demands.
The spousal support was denied, but Bertinelli agreed to pay him a hefty lump sum of $2.2. million. Bertinelli has until December 31, 2022, to make the payment, and then the divorce will be wholly behind her.
What will Bertinelli do post-divorce?
Even though Bertinelli has sworn off love, she has plenty to keep her busy with her illustrious career. One of her upcoming projects involves the Food Network, which she has collaborated with for years.
Starting on November 28, she is returning to present The Kids Baking Championship Holiday Special with her co-host, Duff Goldman. Bertinelli has served as the host and judge of the Food Network show for 10 seasons.
Now, she and Goldman will welcome back their greatest contestants from the past 10 seasons to compete in the holiday baking special for a $10,000 prize.
In addition to her work, she has also been working on connecting with her fans more. She joined TikTok this past June and has been using the platform to film humorous videos or short snippets of encouragement to her fans.
In addition to her fans and career, she has a close relationship with her son, Wolfgang. She even references her son in her Instagram username – @wolfiesmom.
Wolfgang is a musician, and Bertinelli has been very supportive of his career, using social media to express pride in his achievements.
With an incredible career, a large fanbase, and a son, it isn’t surprising that Bertinelli is eager for her post-divorce life to begin.