Valerie Bertinelli Shares What She Would Tell 17-year-old Self With Cute Throwback Pic

If Valerie Bertinelli could go back in time, she would have thought differently about her younger self. The American actress made this known after sharing a striking throwback picture.

The two-time Golden Globe Award-winning actress, who became a household name after acting as ''Barbara Cooper'' on CBS's ''One Day at a Time,'' turned out to be a sought-after television personality and has remained relevant in the entertainment industry.

Occasionally, she keeps her fans engaged on her social media platforms and shares memorable moments with them.

The Food Network star, showing self-love to herself, dedicated a day to look back at what she looked like decades ago. She took to her Instagram to post a throwback picture of herself that was taken for a magazine cover shoot in the late seventies. 

''Wbw 1977 @seventeen magazine photoshoot #waybackwednesday #polaroid,'' Bertinelli declared in the caption she added. In the Polaroid picture, the ''Valerie's Home Cooking'' star looked breathtaking, sporting a white turtleneck long-sleeve top and a pair of blue jeans.

She wore a floral scarf over her head, however, her thick curly brunette hair cascaded down to her shoulders. She opted for light makeup with a swipe of nude-toned lipstick.

The actress appeared to have been sitting when she struck her signature pose, backing a massive luxurious pool that was featured in the background of the snap.  Attached to the throwback picture were the numbers, ''1-22-77,'' and the words, ''Seventeen Mag.''

As expected, her sweet post amassed thousands of likes and prompted fans to express their opinion in the comments section. One fan, who was curious to find out what the actress had to relay to her 17-year-old self, asked, ''If you could go back and tell that young lady anything…what would it be???''

Replying to the fan, the ''Boston Legal'' actress wrote, ''@annierahe1 You're not fat. It doesn't matter what size you are. What really matters, is the size of your heart ?.''

Meanwhile, other Instagram users praised her, with one writing, ''You know what's bizarre? You totally look the same today! You never age.'' Another user penned, ''I loved Seventeen and you! Being raised by a divorced mom in an apartment wasn't that common then and I saw myself in you and One Day at a Time!''

A fourth commenter added, ''Thought this was Selena Gomez at first ?? go girl ?.'' One admirer expressed, ''Your heart & compassion define you no matter what you weigh. We all know that, so please try not to feel anything but love because you're a masterpiece just the way you are.''

Another fan chimed, ''Always thought you were so pretty when I was growing up. Still do! ?.'' ''@wolfiesmom wow ❤️❤️❤️❤️ beautiful then and beautiful now.''

As much as Bertinelli receives excess love from her fans, she is also a victim of internet trolling from frustrated critics once in a while. 

However, she never hesitates to clap back at them and put them in their place. In June, the two-time Emmy Awards winner defended herself after being accused of undergoing cosmetic procedures.  She took to her Instagram to reshare a TikTok video of herself responding to a critic's opinion about her facial structures.

In the clip, the ''Sydney'' actress highlighted the social media user's comment at the top of the screen. ''The Botox looks great,'' the individual quipped, sarcastically implying that the TV personality had gotten beauty enhancements. 

Addressing the comment, Bertinelli calmly remarked, ''Eww, I know you didn't mean that as a compliment, But let's talk about it, shall we?" Being entirely honest with viewers, Bertinelli confessed she had tried Botox about six years ago and shared a picture of what she looked like with the cosmetic procedure.

Despite the treatment offering her a significant glow, the ''Kids Baking Championship'' host stressed the enhancer was not for her. ''As you can see from that picture, it doesn't look like me. Like it sort of like changed the shape of my eyebrows,'' the actress explained, taking off her glasses to show her bare face.

''What I thought it was gonna do was help me with my genetically puffy eyes,'' the mom of one continued with a chuckle. ''Which I've always–they have always annoyed me. I've always wanted those nice deep-set eyes, don't have them, never gonna have them.''

The TV personality noted that she had learned to accept and live with her eyes, going as far as staying sober in 2023 to see if alcohol had influenced the state of her eye structure. However, it was not responsible for the puffy nature of her eyes. 

Redirecting her conversation to the matter at hand, the 63-year-old actress admitted she was sharing these private details because the female troll who accused her of getting a cosmetic procedure tried to body shame her.

Condemning the comment, Bertinelli stated, ''You're trying to shame me, and you're a woman. Like, what made you go out of your way to try to shame me, I'm not the first person to try to be shamed on TikTok or Instagram or any place. So we women, we have to stick together, okay.''

The ''Apple's Way'' actress stressed that it was not alright to shame people who tried to make themselves feel better as they navigated this ''insane flipping crazy world.'' Insisting on her disinterest in Botox, the TV personality declared it was not for her, or she would have kept using it.