Valerie Bertinelli Recalls Introducing Ex Eddie Van Halen To Her Mom On Memorial Day

Though he is not soulmate material, Eddie Van Halen remains a fond memory for Valerie Bertinelli.

The actress recalled a delicate memory as she joined the rest of the families in the United States for the May 26 Memorial Day celebration.

Valerie Bertinelli's ex-husband, Eddie Van Halen, passed on from cancer in October 2020. The estranged couple was married for 26 years until their divorce in 2007.

The celebrity chef took to Instagram to share an emotional throwback photo featuring her late ex-husband alongside her late mother, Nancy Bertinelli. 

The duo appeared very bubbly in the image, which, according to Valerie, was captured in 2017. She provided heartwarming details in the caption, giving readers a view into the loving relationship between her late mother and her late ex-husband.

In the post's caption, the 65-year-old mentioned that the image came up as a "photo of the day" highlight on her iPhone. She also acknowledged the "flood of memories" she felt when she saw the image and listed them out, writing:

"I'm talkin from the moment I introduced Ed to my mom in 1980, the joy of Wolfie's birth, the handful of arguments they would have, my effort to mediate them, and the delight in watching them laugh together A lot of life lived together."

The chef remembered calling her ex-husband shortly after her mother passed, and the news shattered him. In her words:

"He was crying and saying how he had just gotten to see her in AZ a couple of years earlier and how grateful he was. They had a complicated relationship that was centered by mutual respect and a deep love for one another, they understood each other, even through their flaws or maybe because of."

Valerie expressed how much of a vacuum they have left behind in her life, emphasizing that she missed both of them and informed her followers of her decision to grieve the duo, but in a special way. Her post's caption concluded with:

"Anyway, I'm gonna go off and have a good healthy cry. The kind of cry where I feel lucky to have loved and have been loved, and the deep grief that goes with no longer being able to hold them and tell them that. May you all all have a blessed Memorial Day."

Last year, Men's Journal noted that Valerie shared her personal reflections on social media shortly after Paramount+ aired an episode of "Behind the Music" that focused on her son with Eddie, Wolfgang Van Halen.

In her touching video, she candidly discussed the challenges of watching the episode, revealing how it brought up painful memories, particularly regarding her relationship with her late ex-husband.

Bertinelli acknowledged feeling regret about her parenting despite Wolfgang turning out well. She also reflected on the reality of her marriage to Eddie, which devolved into struggles with addiction and infidelity.

She admitted that after Eddie's passing, she was tempted to romanticize their relationship as a soulmate connection, even though their time together was complicated. She declared:

"I fell in love with him when I was 20, and it rapidly declined into drugs and alcohol and infidelity—nothing that makes you feel loved and wanted and cared for. Nothing that would scream 'soulmate,' that's for sure. But after Ed died, I was more than willing to put myself in the grieving widow category for a man that I hadn't lived with for 20 years."

Ultimately, she emphasized that the most significant outcome of their union was Wolfgang, whom she described as the best thing that ever happened to her. In her 2022 memoir, "Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today", she also spoke about their turbulent love story. 

Despite the challenges they faced, including Eddie's battles with drugs and alcohol, Bertinelli expressed her deep love for him, describing it as more profound than she could articulate. She declared:

"I hated the drugs and the alcohol, but I never hated him. I saw his pain. Yet still, through all of it, I loved Ed more than I know how to explain. I loved his soul."

The actress found her romantic juice again last year, but the relationship ended after just six months together. Valerie and her ex, Mike Goodnough, opened 2024 their relationship, although it was long-distance.

As The Blast noted, they became public with their romance three months later in April when he accompanied her to the set of "The Drew Barrymore Show." Valerie shared that their relationship was purely platonic at first, then it transitioned into something that felt familiar, like a "kindred spirit."

They also showed up as a couple at the Daytime Emmys in June, with Valerie praising the beau on social media. Mike also expressed his pleasant surprise at their romantic bond, calling it a "gift" in a warm Substack post.

Despite their highly publicized romance, the couple soon crumbled under the pressure of managing what being miles apart did to their relationship. An insider confirmed their split after the actress had earlier given a sneak peek into their schedule, which involved seeing each other at least once in three weeks.

Valerie achieved a significant personal milestone before she ended things with the writer last year. The actress decided to let alcohol go and forge a new path, finally.

She celebrated her new feat in an Instagram post celebrating six months of staying sober. The caption read, "Six months. No alcohol." The actress's post was well-received by fans and followers, who lauded her for achieving such a noble deed.

Valerie also went Instagram official with the writer as she uploaded a picture of the both of them looking amused with each other. "I'll drink what you think, and I'm high from smokin' your jokes all d-mn night," she wrote in the post's caption.

The actress did not stop there; she also tagged Mike's Instagram handle to solidify their bond further.

The author got vulnerable about her weight issues and how it affected her self-worth last year. As noted by The Blast, she explained in an Instagram video that she had done so much work, both mentally and emotionally, to get over her self-image issues.

"Health is not body size. Health is not that number you see on a scale. Your worth as a human being isn't dictated by your body," she declared. Valerie then shared a powerful realization about her weight, saying:

"I thought I was fat the last time I wore these clothes. I've never felt more beautiful, more at peace, more mentally and emotionally stable than I do today, and I'm wearing my 'fat clothes."

The actress concluded with a message for her followers, urging them to love themselves and every part of themselves. "YOU ARE ENOUGH," Valerie reiterated under the post.

One thing is sure: Valerie Bertinelli has a fond memory to look forward to every Memorial Day!