Valerie Bertinelli Shares Emotional Video About Self-Loathing On Instagram

Valerie Bertinelli is back again about her body image activism. On Thursday, the 61-year old actress took to her Instagram to share a heartfelt video about her body image and how she loathed herself. 

"I'm standing out in the rain because I'm doing my best to distract my mind from spiraling to a place of self-loathing because I saw a picture of myself today that made me want to do that," Bertinelli started. "I am not where I want to be right now, body-wise. I don't know if I ever will be, but when I see it right in front of me, it does send me down that path. And I am doing my best to be positive and more full of joy, and hopefully, my body will follow along. I'm not there yet."

The "Hot In Cleveland" actress concluded the video by motivating herself with a pep talk, including that she wasn't going to "focus on all the shortcomings and flaws and imperfections."

"We can all give ourselves permission to feel joy, be intentional about it, and remember to be grateful," she said. "I am grateful, even through all the mess. 'Cause, there's still good in all the mess."

This, however, wasn't the first time she was being loud about her body size. In July 2021, the actress got honest about how she felt when a stranger on the internet body-shamed her and told her to go and lose weight.

She also posted another video and mentioned that while she went through recipes online, she made the mistake of checking the responses.

"Someone decided to point out that I need to lose weight," she said, with tears in her eyes. "You're not being helpful."

She continued, "When you see somebody who has put on some weight, my first thought is that person is going through some things because if I could lose the weight and keep it off, I would. But since I haven't been successful with that my whole life, at 61, I'm still dealing with it. You think I'm not tired of it, lady?"

She was also very blunt while captioning the video.

"Aren't we tired of body shaming women yet?! smh," the actress began. "I was going to delete my stories because it's a little embarrassing and scary to be so vulnerable. But then I realized it was hitting a 'good' nerve with so many of you who were so sweet to dm and share your same vulnerability and struggles. We all could use a little more kindness and patience and grace because we just never know what someone else is going through. So here it is. Not deleting. Owning it. #compassion," she concluded and added a love emoji.

In 2016, the actress opened up to ET on learning to appreciate her body. Her story initially made rounds in 2008 when she lost 80 pounds at the Jenny Craig program and showed off her svelte figure in a bikini.

Subsequently, she came under fire when she gained some weight, but she's no longer obsessing over what the scale and people say.

"Do I want my jeans to be a little looser? Hell yeah!" she told ET. "But I'm happy today."

In a recent feature on talkshoplive to promote her upcoming memoir, the actress chatted via video, replying to fans' questions as quickly as they asked in a chatbox. A fan asked Bertinelli what her book title was about.

"Enough Already is referring to a lot," she mentioned. "I almost called the book Just Enough because 'enough' is 'I'm enough.' Enough is also 'stop.' So it can mean many things. I might get it tattooed to remind myself to stop myself from trying to be perfect, stop myself from beating myself up. Enough already, just enough. Just be kind. That could go to anything in this world. Enough already, just enough."

In an interview with People, she admitted that the book explored areas about her "relationship to food, being a mom, mid-life career changes, aging parents, saying goodbye to loved ones, and asking why the hell have I been so hard on myself for so long."

"I cover a lot, but ultimately it's about growing older, with the emphasis on growth, learning lessons, and reminding myself — and hopefully those who read the book — that life is a gift and too short to waste," she told the outlet of her memoir.

In her interview with talkshoplive, she admitted that while she wrote her memoir, she got so embarrassed that she wanted to shelve it. However, she carried on for her healing and also for her fans.

"This book has a lot of 'I's,' 'me's in it," she began. "But I want you to replace that with 'you' and see how that story reflects what you're going through yourself. Inevitably, that's why I decided that I would release the book. If it can help anybody not feel so alone and remember to lead with love, it's worth doing it. It's worth being embarrassed and feeling some shame. But mainly, it's about me feeling some joy and gratitude and sharing all of that with everybody."