Valerie Bertinelli ‘Learning to Trust Again’ with New Boyfriend

Valerie Bertinelli is settling down in her new relationship. The lifestyle expert is currently dating writer, Mike Goodnough, and says she is “learning to trust again.” In a June 25 Instagram post, the cookbook author opened up about how the relationship has helped her heal from a toxic relationship. She says her “healing journey” began in late 2022 before she began dating Goodnough. Bertinelli finalized her divorce from ex-husband Tom Vitale the same year. 

“I wanted my life to be different than it was and I wanted to be a whole and emotionally healthy human being,” she said. “Being vulnerable and authentic are two things I thought I had really worked on and accomplished,” she added, “and I really thought I had conquered most of my demons.”

Luckily, she says her new man has been different. “This man is worth fighting the rest of my demons for. He is the most thoughtful, kind, gentle, intelligent, funny, and grateful man I’ve ever met,” she said, adding, “And look at him. 🥰 I mean…”

Bertinelli met her new beau online. “I’m in love,” she said in an April cover story for PEOPLE. “It’s a seesaw of emotions because I was adamant I was never falling in love again.” Of her initial decision to be alone for the rest of her life, she said, “I was supposed to die with my six cats and my dog,” she told the publication, “and very happily live the rest of my years alone — I’m good alone.”

At the time, the former Food Network staple wasn’t ready to reveal her beau’s identity. “My belly is flip-flopping. This was not supposed to happen,” she gushed.

Bertinelli and her new love met online, and she never expected a romance. She said, “It was strictly platonic but there was something about him that I connected with that felt familiar.”