April 16, 2024, published at 5:30 am ET
Former Food Network star Valerie BertinelliHer whirlwind new romance with a 'special' person she met online has friends worried the 64-year-old divorcee needs to turn down the heat and stop acting like a 'lovesick teenager'.
A bombshell report claimed that sources said Bertinelli's 2022 split was splitting off Tom Vitale after almost eleven years of marriage, she should be more careful.
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The friends told me The National Inquirer“Friends worry about the pace of the relationship. Although everyone wishes her the best, her friends think it's crazy to move in together and talk about marriage so soon after meeting online!”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Bertinelli spoke People about her new romance, but did not reveal her boyfriend's name.
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The 63-year-old actress said the man messaged her on social media a few years ago, but it was strictly platonic. “It was strictly platonic, but there was something about him that I related to and felt familiar,” she said.
The actress said that recently the conversations moved to the phone and then turned romantic.
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“The comfort level is crazy. It feels incredibly good,” she said. “I'm in love. It's a seesaw of emotions because I was adamant that I would never fall in love again.”
“I was meant to die with my six cats and my dog and live the rest of my years very happily alone. I'm fine being alone,” she continued. “My stomach is rolling up and down. This shouldn't have happened.”
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“I want to be clear that this process has taken a long time,” she added. “I became more aware of my healing. That meant a lot of walking [my dog] Luna, many therapy sessions, learned a lot that I deserve to feel good.
“The more I allowed myself to cry, the better I felt. I wasn't trying to be happy, sad or skinny. I wasn't trying to be anything other than who I was,” Bertinelli said.
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As RadarOnline.com first reported, Bertinelli had a bitter divorce battle with her ex-husband.
The actress filed to terminate the union in November 2021. She cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split and asked for both parties to be cut off from the support of their spouses.
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Her ex demanded $50,000 a month in support. He argued in court that he was forced to take a job at a post office in Malibu while she earned $175,000 a month.
Ultimately, Bertinelli agreed to pay a lump sum of $2.2 million to her ex as part of a settlement.
