Valerie Bertinelli Opens Up About Her Breakup: What Led to Her Last Relationship Ending

AmoMama readers believe they know the reason behind the end of Valerie Bertinelli’s recent romance, and their theory involves a famous ex from her past.

After we posted on Facebook about the breakup between Hollywood star Valerie Bertinelli and East Coast writer Mike Goodnough, our readers have flooded the comment section with various speculative opinions.

Many readers believe that Valerie Bertinelli’s breakup with Mike Goodnough happened because she still can’t get over her late ex-husband, iconic musician Eddie Van Halen, and the father of her son. One reader commented, “She is still in love with Eddie! ❤️🙏❤️,” while another stated, “Nobody will ever replace Eddie.”

Echoing the same sentiment, another reader commented, “It’s hard to get over your true love.” One more added, “I feel like Ed was her soulmate, no one will ever match up.” Joining the Van Halen-and-Bertinelli-forever conversation, another observer wrote, “She’ll never love anyone like she loved Eddie ❤️🙏.”

However, not everyone agreed with the prevailing sentiment. One AmoMama reader criticized, saying, “Stop living in the past. He’s gone!!” Offering a different perspective, another reader suggested, “He was the transition relationship they usually don’t work out. She will meet someone.”

While the comments above are largely speculative, a 2022 interview reveals the depth of Valerie Bertinelli’s love for Eddie Van Halen.

In the interview, Valerie Bertinelli spoke to Hoda Kotb about Eddie Van Halen’s passing and their relationship. When Kotb asked what she felt Van Halen’s death had taught her, a teary-eyed Bertinelli revealed, “Love.”

Valerie Bertinelli continued, “If there’s nothing else in this world, go back to that key point that you know that you have inside you, that you know that you feel for the people that are closest to you… Love always wins, no matter what. Even when they’re gone, there’s still that love there to be grateful for that you had.”

While Valerie Bertinelli was honest about the fact that her relationship with Eddie Van Halen wasn’t always perfect, she emphasized that, as his passing drew near, they were able to find their “way back to love and forgiveness.”

As she wiped away tears, Valerie Bertinelli admitted, “I wish he hadn’t died after that, it would have been nice to spend more time with him, but yeah, I was grateful that we had that.”

After her marriage to Eddie Van Halen ended, Valerie Bertinelli found love again with financial planner Tom Vitale. After dating for a few years, the couple married in January 2011.

However, things took a turn for the worse, and Valerie Bertinelli ultimately filed for legal separation from Tom Vitale in November 2021, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Their divorce was finalized on November 22, 2022, and Bertinelli expressed that she was happy about it.

After her divorce, Valerie Bertinelli embarked on a journey of self-discovery and healing, during which she uncovered troubling messages from her ex. Despite the challenges of this period, she didn’t allow herself to stay down for too long and continued to move forward.

Just when Valerie Bertinelli was determined to embrace single life with her son, dog, and cats, love came knocking once again. In April, the cookbook author revealed her then-new relationship in an exclusive interview with People, sharing the unexpected turn her life had taken.

“I’m in love,” Valerie Bertinelli announced. “It’s a seesaw of emotions because I was adamant I was never falling in love again. I was supposed to die with my six cats and my dog, and very happily live the rest of my years alone — I’m good alone.”

This romance began unexpectedly, in a thoroughly modern way. She first connected with Mike Goodnough on Instagram a few years ago when he slid “into her DMs.”

Initially, Valerie Bertinelli and Mike Goodnough had a platonic friendship, but it gradually evolved into something more as she discovered something in him that “felt familiar.”

“It’s crazy the comfort level,” Bertinelli shared. “It feels incredibly right.” At the time, her raw honesty was met with an outpouring of support from fans, particularly after she posted about him on Instagram.

After discussing her healing journey that began in 2022, Valerie Bertinelli wrote, “[…] 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. And look at him.”

Several users quickly commented, with one person saying, “I’m so happy for you! You deserve it all!” Another added, “He looks awesome! I’m glad you found each other!”

At the time, Mike Goodnough also received positive comments on his personal Instagram. One user wrote, “Those eyes,” while another added, “[…] Nice eyes/shirt combination.” Unfortunately, the joy felt by fans was short-lived, as the couple later announced their split.

On November 5, a source confirmed to People that Valerie Bertinelli and her boyfriend had separated after attempting to maintain a long-distance relationship since January. In July, Bertinelli had shared with the magazine how challenging it had been to stick to their “three-week rule” of seeing each other.

Regarding the breakup, her now ex-boyfriend stated, “Valerie and I are the only two people with insight into our relationship. Neither of us pays much attention to chatter among people outside of it.”

Bertinelli resides in Los Angeles, while Goodnough remained on the East Coast throughout their relationship. Despite being open about the challenges of this arrangement, Goodnough highlighted a silver lining: the distance made their time together even more precious. In several now-deleted Instagram posts, he shared touching moments with Bertinelli, capturing the special times they spent together.

In June, Valerie Bertinelli and Mike Goodnough took their relationship to the next level by making their red carpet debut at the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. It was Goodnough’s first time attending such an event.

While speaking to ET, Valerie Bertinelli playfully referred to Mike Goodnough as a “virgin” on the red carpet, laughing as she did. She also couldn’t hide her admiration for him, gushing, “He’s brilliant. He’s smart. He’s funny. He’s talented. Amazing writer. He’s kind. He’s thoughtful. He’s patient with me, God knows I need a lot of patience.”

Goodnough reciprocated Bertinelli’s sentiments, praising her authenticity and kindness. While acknowledging the difficulty of being apart, he maintained a pragmatic outlook on their situation. He compared their long-distance relationship to that of married couples where one partner travels for work, emphasizing that the distance was just a temporary challenge.

Over the past few months, Valerie Bertinelli and Mike Goodnough showcased their playful side on social media, attempting trendy videos and sharing the humorous results with their followers.

These light-hearted moments delighted fans, who commented things like, “You look amazing, Valerie! And SO happy; love to see you this way!” Another person added, “He looks so beautiful and happy. I love that smile—keep smiling.”

Despite their breakup, many people are likely still curious about the mysterious man who entered Valerie Bertinelli’s life after her past marriages. Let’s take a closer look at Mike Goodnough and his connection to the actress.

Valerie Bertinelli’s now ex-boyfriend, Mike Goodnough, is not only a writer but also a photographer who goes by the online moniker “The Hoarse Whisperer.”

Mike Goodnough, 54, has a background in marketing and communications. Throughout his career, he has worked with numerous high-profile companies, including AT&T, Verizon, HBO, BMW, and many others.

In April 2024, Mike Goodnough confirmed his relationship with Valerie Bertinelli in a post on his Substack. He wrote, “I am Valerie Bertinelli’s boyfriend… and that may well be among the most surreal sentences I’ve ever pecked out. But it’s true… and nothing about our actual relationship seems surreal. It just seems… good… lucky… a gift.”

Mike Goodnough has been self-employed for over a decade, having left the corporate world just before his son was born. His background in marketing gave him a unique perspective on celebrities and media, while his career outside the entertainment industry offered a refreshing change for Valerie Bertinelli.

One of the most defining aspects of Mike Goodnough’s life is his role as a devoted single father to a teenage son. He has been open about prioritizing his role as a parent above all else, even at the expense of financial stability, as he explained in a long thread on X.

Goodnough also spoke about his father’s struggles with depression and the impact it had on his upbringing. Determined to break the cycle, he dedicated himself to being a present and emotionally available parent, often sharing touching moments from his journey as a father on social media.

On Instagram, Mike Goodnough recalled the day his son came home from the hospital after a challenging birth, calling it the “happiest day of my life” and his “happiest anniversary every year since.” He has also shared everyday moments, such as enjoying breakfast with his teenager, giving his followers a glimpse into their close-knit father-son relationship.