Valerie Bertinelli has filed for legal separation from her husband Tom Vitale after ten years of marriage. According to PEOPLE, the 61-year-old Food Network star filed paperwork in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for separating from her spouse. The outlet noted that Bertinelli did not file to have the marriage dissolved and that the court documents revealed the estranged couple does have a prenuptial agreement they intend to adhere to.
Bertinelli and Vital were first introduced to one another by Bertinelli’s brother, Patrick, and they married in 2011 after dating for several years. While neither have commented on the current state of their relationship, PEOPLE did share some comments that Bertinelli made during an appearance on The View not long after they wed. “I think I got tired of calling him ‘my spousal equivalent,’ ” she said. “It’s nice to call him my husband. It feels appropriate.”
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Before dating and marrying Vital, Bertinelli was married to late rock icon Eddie Van Halen from 1981 to 2007. The couple shared one son, Wolfgang Van Halen. Tragically, Van Halen died in 2020 at the age of 65, after a fight with cancer. “You never like this new normal but that’s what it is,” Bertinelli later said of grieving her ex-husband’s death, during an interview with therapist Angie Johnsey. “It’s about finding a way to survive this new normal… which many people are doing.”
“This whole year unfortunately has been about death and grieving and loss,” she went on to say. “Too many people have lost too many things. It’s just shattering what’s going on.” Bertinelli then added, “Talking about grief is the appropriate thing to do. We’re all going through some form of it.”
Wolfgang was the first to confirm his father’s death, issuing a statement through social media. “I can’t believe I’m having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning,” he wrote. “He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift. My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss.” Wolf concluded his statement, saying, “I love you so much, Pop.”
