Valerie Bertinelli at 65: Laughing Through Life’s Imperfections and Embracing New Beginnings

Valerie Bertinelli has always had a gift for connecting with audiences.

Whether she was the spunky teenager on One Day at a Time, the warm and witty best friend on Hot in Cleveland, or the candid voice behind her bestselling memoirs, Bertinelli has built her career on a rare combination of humor, honesty, and vulnerability.

Now, at 65, she is embracing those same qualities as she steps into a new stage of her life—one that balances self-awareness with reinvention.

In a lighthearted Instagram post earlier this week, Bertinelli shared a video of herself attempting a flexibility exercise.

With a playful grin, she admitted that decades of strutting around in high heels have left her knees less than cooperative.

“My flexibility goals may have to stay in my imagination,” she joked, before adding, “But that’s okay—life’s too short not to laugh at yourself.”

 

 

The post quickly went viral, drawing supportive comments from fans who praised her authenticity.

“You make aging look fun,” one follower wrote.

Another chimed in: “Finally, someone telling the truth about what heels really do to us.”

The Instagram video wasn’t just a playful confession—it was also a teaser.

In the same post, Bertinelli revealed that she has been working on a new project: a Lifetime movie set to premiere later this year.

While details remain under wraps, she described her behind-the-scenes experience with raw honesty.

During recent ADR (automated dialogue replacement) sessions, Bertinelli confessed that she became unexpectedly emotional.

“I was in the booth, re-recording lines, and suddenly I started crying,” she said.

“It wasn’t even a sad scene, but something about hearing my voice again in this context hit me deeply. Acting is part of who I am, and returning to it after time away feels like coming home.”

 

 

The revelation struck a chord with longtime fans who remember her early television career.

For many, seeing Bertinelli back on screen feels like reconnecting with an old friend—one who has grown, stumbled, and endured in the public eye, but who still radiates warmth and humor.

Part of Bertinelli’s enduring appeal is her willingness to share her struggles.

Over the years, she has been candid about her battles with weight, body image, and self-esteem.

In her memoir Enough Already, she opened up about how those struggles were amplified by Hollywood’s unforgiving standards.

“I spent so much of my life trying to fit into someone else’s idea of what I should look like, or who I should be,” she once said.

“It took me decades to realize that I am enough just as I am.”

That message has made her a beacon for women navigating similar challenges.

On social media, she often speaks about embracing imperfections, learning to laugh at herself, and letting go of shame.

Her recent knee-flexibility joke is just the latest example of how she uses humor to transform vulnerability into empowerment.

 

 

Bertinelli’s story is one of both remarkable highs and deeply personal lows.

She rose to fame in the late 1970s as Barbara Cooper on One Day at a Time, quickly becoming America’s sweetheart.

Her approachable charm and quick wit made her one of television’s most beloved young stars.

In the 1980s, her personal life took center stage when she married legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen.

Their marriage, though marked by love, was also tumultuous, and the two eventually divorced in 2007.

Eddie’s death in 2020 was a devastating blow, but Bertinelli has spoken openly about their enduring bond and the shared love for their son, Wolfgang.

Her professional resurgence came with Hot in Cleveland, where she starred alongside Betty White, Jane Leeves, and Wendie Malick.

The show, which ran from 2010 to 2015, introduced her to a new generation of fans while cementing her reputation as a sitcom staple.

More recently, she has found a second home in food television, hosting shows on the Food Network where she combined her culinary passion with her trademark relatability.

 

 

At 65, Bertinelli is part of a growing wave of women in entertainment who are rewriting the narrative of aging.

Instead of quietly retreating from the spotlight, she has leaned into her truth with refreshing candor.

Her willingness to admit that her knees aren’t what they used to be, or that she still wrestles with self-doubt, is not weakness—it’s her strength.

“I think the best thing about getting older is that you stop pretending,” she said in a recent interview.

“You stop trying to fit into a box. You realize life is messy, and that’s what makes it beautiful.”

That philosophy aligns perfectly with her return to acting.

For Bertinelli, the role isn’t just another credit on her résumé—it’s a statement that creativity and passion don’t fade with age.

If anything, they deepen.

 

 

What sets Bertinelli apart is how closely her fans feel connected to her.

Unlike some celebrities who project perfection, she invites people into her real, imperfect life.

When she posts about her knees, her tears in the ADR booth, or her joy at cooking a new recipe, it feels less like a performance and more like a conversation with a trusted friend.

That authenticity has made her a role model not only for women of her generation but also for younger audiences who crave honesty in a curated world of social media filters and highlight reels.

“Valerie makes me feel okay about being myself,” one fan commented on Instagram.

“If she can laugh at herself, then so can I.”

 

 

As she prepares for the release of her Lifetime movie, Bertinelli is also taking time to focus on her personal growth.

She continues to post candid updates about her health, self-care routines, and reflections on aging gracefully.

While she admits she’s not as limber as she once was, she radiates a sense of peace and confidence that comes from hard-won self-acceptance.

For Bertinelli, aging isn’t about decline—it’s about evolution.

And if her Instagram is any indication, she intends to keep laughing, keep learning, and keep surprising her fans.

“I don’t want to stop growing,” she said.

“I want to keep finding joy, keep trying new things, and keep sharing the journey. Life is too short not to.”

 

 

Valerie Bertinelli’s humor about her knees may have been a small moment, but it captured the essence of who she is: a woman who refuses to let age define her, who continues to create, and who approaches life with honesty and laughter.

As she steps back into acting with her new Lifetime role, fans are reminded why they fell in love with her in the first place.

She is vulnerable yet resilient, candid yet graceful, and always ready with a joke—even when it’s at her own expense.

At 65, Valerie Bertinelli isn’t trying to be perfect.

She’s trying to be real.

And in doing so, she’s giving her audience exactly what they need: permission to embrace their own imperfections with humor, heart, and hope.