Food Network Alum Valerie Bertinelli Reveals She Was Sexually Abused at Age 11 — 'I'm Pissed Off That It Happened'
Valerie Bertinelli revealed she was sexually abused as a child in her memoir.
March 4 2026, Published 1:32 p.m. ET
Valerie Bertinelli revealed for the first time that she was sexually abused as a child and that she's finally "healing" from it decades later, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The former Food Network star recalls the harrowing experience in her new memoir, Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect, of which she devotes an entire chapter to how she was molested.
Valerie Bertinelli Survived Childhood Sexual Abuse
Valerie Bertinelli said victims of childhood sexual abuse need to speak up about the 'epidemic.'
Bertinelli said she "purposely" shows a photo of herself at the age of 11 to open the chapter "because that was the little girl that was sexually abused."
The snapshot showed the Touched by an Angel alum with a slightly guarded, reserved expression on her young face, rather than a happy smile.
"It boggles my mind that this little girl was taken advantage of that way. It boggles my mind because it’s still happening...and I’m furious about it. And we need to start speaking up and saying, 'Enough,'" she fumed.
Valerie Bertinelli's Sexual Abuse Led to 'Self-Loathing' as an Adult
Valerie Bertinelli said the 'shame' of her childhood trauma caused her to treat her body badly.
Bertinelli famously battled her weight on and off over the years and realized that the childhood trauma was a contributor to how she was treating herself physically.
"All of that shame had nothing to do with my body. It was just something to take out my shame on. My poor body. I was so mean to it. I just needed to get all those voices out of my head," she explained.
"As I was going through that, I’m thinking people are going to wonder, why do I have so much self-loathing? That’s not normal. It’s because trauma happened in my childhood for the most part. I can’t speak for anybody else, but it’s pretty textbook," she continued about the lasting effect of repressing her molestation.
"The very first time I said it out loud to my therapist, I thought, 'I’m going to feel better now.' It got worse before it got better," she confessed. "I maybe ate a little bit more, drank a little bit more. When you stop eating things for comfort, stop drinking alcohol, it exposes your feelings. You can deal with them or not. And I chose to deal with them."
"I don't feel shame about it anymore. I’m pissed off that it happened," added Bertinelli. "Nobody deserves that."
Valerie Bertinelli Is Still 'Healing' From Childhood Sexual Abuse
Valerie Bertinelli made a painful breakthrough in 2024.
The Hot in Cleveland alum said she had a major mental breakthrough two years ago that caused her to peel back more layers of why she suffered so much body shame.
"I had a huge anxiety attack at the end of 2024 that brought me to my knees. And I thought I’m not getting anywhere. I needed to do more work," Bertinelli said.
The Valerie's Home Cooking star said she "had no plans to reveal" that she was a child sexual abuse victim in her new wellness book, as she planned for the project to be about "teaching people how to love themselves."
"I guess because I'm healing from it, it’s not so scary anymore," she said about opening up on how she's a "survivor."
"I can say it out loud. I was sexually assaulted," she continued. "It doesn't feel like it owns me anymore."
Valerie Bertinelli Has Been Famous Since Her Teens
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Valerie Bertineli was a teenager she she became famous on 'One Day at a Time.'
Bertinelli rocketed to fame at the age of 15 playing Barbara Cooper on the iconic CBS comedy One Day at a Time, and has had a successful acting career as an adult.
In addition to her TV career, Bertinelli released her first cookbook, One Dish at a Time: Delicious Recipes and Stories from My Italian-American Childhood and Beyond, in 2012. That led to her joining the Food Network in 2015.
Additionally, Bertinelli has written several other cookbooks, self-help books, and a 2009 memoir, Finding It: And Finally Satisfying My Hunger for Life.
