Why did Valerie Bertinelli and Tom Vitale divorce?

Valerie Bertinelli announced on November 22, 2022, that her divorce from her ex-husband, Tom Vitale, has been finalized. Bertinelli was excited about the news since it has been nearly a year since she first filed for legal separation from Vitale and six months since she officially filed for divorce.

In her filing with the Los Angeles Superior Court of California, she cited her reasons for divorcing Vitale as “irreconcilable differences.” She expressed relief to her followers on the 22nd that the divorce was finally official.

The 62-year-old TV presenter and actress explained that she was at the airport to see her son, Wolfgang Van Halen, whom she shares with her first husband, Eddie Van Halen. It was while preparing to travel that she received a call from her lawyer.

The lawyer confirmed that the papers had been filed and, as of Tuesday, she was officially divorced. Bertinelli described it as the “second best day” of her life.

She also confirmed that she was “happily divorced” and stated with relief, “God, finally! It’s finally over.”

Bertinelli and Vitale officially tied the knot in 2011, although they had been dating for six years before marriage. They met in 2004, shortly after Bertinelli divorced her first husband and Vitale divorced his former wife.

Valerie Bertinelli on her divorce from Tom Vitale

The video in which Bertinelli announced her official divorce to Vitale marked one of the few times she has spoken publicly about the dissolution of her marriage. She has largely refrained from giving an explicit reason for her divorce.

However, back in June, while not getting into the details of her divorce, Bertinelli shared what her post-divorce life would look like. While appearing on the TODAY show, she explained that she would be “happily divorced” and was looking forward to single life.

She indicated that she would be happy with her son, her cats, her dog, and, hopefully, someday with her grandchildren. When asked if she would consider remarrying or dating again, she answered in the negative.

While she has expressed happiness about the divorce being finalized, she has also been honest about it being difficult. She admitted her divorce from Vitale was challenging and led to her having trust issues.

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. So I have some trust issues that I’m sure I’m going to have to get past.”

Who is Bertinelli’s ex-husband, Vitale?

Bertinelli’s ex-husband, Vitale, is a financial planner. He has largely kept out of the spotlight, though he did guest star on Bertinelli’s show, Hot in Cleveland, once.

He and Bertinelli were reportedly introduced in 2004 by Bertinelli’s brother. In 2010, Vitale told AARP Magazine that the two initially bonded over the dissolutions of their respective marriages at the time.

He said they were both fearful of trusting others, and that led them to have a better understanding of each other. While fairly private, he was occasionally spotted accompanying Bertinelli to awards shows and also co-launched an e-commerce site with her called Veebo in 2011.

Upon their divorce, it was reported that Vitale had requested spousal support from Bertinelli and also challenged a prenup agreement which was written up before their wedding. Among Vitale’s requests was $50,000 a month in spousal support.

Bertinelli responded by asking that the divorce filings proceed separately from the prenup validity trial to avoid delaying the divorce.

They ended up reaching a divorce settlement in September 2022 with a private lawyer. The nature of the settlement was not made public. However, the divorce is now official as it has been both settled and finalized.