Valerie Anne Bertinelli
Valerie Anne Bertinelli is an American actress who was born in Wilmington, Delaware to Irish/Italian-American parents Nancy and Andrew Bertinelli (a General Motors executive). She had an older brother, Mark, who died at 17 months from an accidental poisoning before Valerie was born. Along with her other three brothers, one older and two younger, the family lived in Claymont, Delaware, and Clarkston, Michigan. They later moved to Oklahoma City and a short time later, her father again was transferred to another GM automotive plant in Van Nuys, California. There, Valerie became neighborhood friends of the daughter of a TV producer and soon enrolled in the Tami Lynn School of Artists to study acting. She attended Granada Hills High School until 1978 but did not graduate. As of January 2008, she was pursuing the last few credits needed for her high school diploma.
At fourteen, Valerie got the idea she would like to do some acting. "I did one commercial, for J.C. Penney", she says, "and did nothing else for months. Then she had a guest appearance in Apple's Way. And "then, I got a call for One Day at a Time. Everyone at home was jubilant when the show went on the air." But the young actress' mood darkened when she realized that she had to work and go to school, as well.
After One Day at a Time, Valerie continued to act. In addition to starring in several made for TV movies and mini-series, she starred in two sitcoms in the 1990s, Sydney and Café Americain. In 2001, she joined the cast of Touched By An Angel, opposite Roma Downey and Della Reese, for the show's last two seasons.
Valerie, who has struggled with weight issues over the years, lost a total of 50 lbs. as of March 2009, and became a spokesperson for the Jenny Craig weight-loss program. She appeared in several Jenny Craig commercials along with Kirstie Alley and other celebrity Jenny Craig participants.
Although she is compensated for her Jenny Craig appearances, she has stated that she considers herself a health and weight-loss activist rather than a hired weight-loss spokesperson. In 2008 she released the autobiography, Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound At A Time, which culminates in a description of her Jenny Craig experience (the book's title contains a wordplay on One Day at a Time). In 2009, she wrote a follow-up book Finding It: And Satisfying My Hunger for Life without Opening the Fridge.
She now stars in the TV Land series Hot in Cleveland, a situation comedy which debuted in June 2010. The show has just been picked up for a second season.
Before marriage, Valerie dated Steven Spielberg. She married Dutch musician Eddie Van Halen on April 11, 1981. They have a son Wolfgang "Wolfie" William Van Halen together. She says in Losing It that her husband became addicted to cocaine, which led to her giving him an ultimatum to quit drugs, lest she divorce him. On December 5, 2005, she filed for divorce, which was finalized more than two years later on December 20, 2007.
Valerie has been in a relationship with financial planner Tom Vitale since 2004. On May 20, 2010, they announced their engagement to be married. A date has not been set.
Although in her formative years her family identified with Roman Catholicism, there is nothing to indicate that Valerie is practicing any particular faith today, and most especially I could not find any indication that she has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Please pray with me for Valerie this week. Pray that God will draw her into a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. Time appears so short and whatever success she has or will achieve on this earth is nothing compared to an eternity apart from Jesus.
-- Heidi