Valerie Bertinelli recently opened up about her two divorces. She reflected on her splits from Tom Vitale and Eddie Van Halen during a segment on The Drew Barrymore Show.
The actress and cookbook author discussed the trend of transforming wedding rings into celebratory jewelry when marriages end. She shared her personal experience with both divorces.
“I mean I’ve had two divorces, and they were completely different,” Bertinelli said. “My last divorce, I actually, I did go back to the jeweler and sell my ring back, and I got a celebratory, like, evil eye bracelet.”
She explained the emotional significance behind the transformation of her wedding jewelry.
“It’s like the celebratory part of it, because, I mean, there’s a celebration of not being in that pain any longer, but there was love at one point between those – I mean at some point,” she continued.
The comments highlight Bertinelli’s candid approach to discussing her personal life and healing process following her divorces.
Bertinelli’s two marriages represent distinctly different chapters in her life. Each ended under vastly different circumstances and emotional contexts.
Her first marriage to rock legend Eddie Van Halen lasted from 1981 to 2007, spanning over two decades and producing their son Wolfgang, who is now 34 years old. Fox News reported that the musician tragically died from cancer in 2020, adding a layer of complexity to how Bertinelli reflects on their relationship.
Her second marriage to Tom Vitale proved to be far more contentious and financially draining. The couple married in 2011 but their relationship deteriorated over the years, leading to a bitter divorce process that concluded in 2022. Entertainment Tonight revealed that Bertinelli agreed to pay Vitale $2.2 million plus an additional $500,000. The divorce finalized on November 22, 2022.
The stark contrast between her two divorces became evident in how she processed each ending. Her split from Van Halen was marked by mutual respect and co-parenting responsibilities. Her divorce from Vitale represented a liberation from what she described as pain. When the Vitale divorce was finalized, Bertinelli celebrated by posting a video declaring herself “happily divorced,” as Entertainment Tonight documented.
The transformation of her wedding ring into an evil eye bracelet serves as a powerful symbol of her journey from pain to empowerment. It marks not just the end of a difficult marriage but the beginning of a new chapter focused on personal healing and growth.
