People: Running with the ‘Angel’
The title of Valerie Bertinelli‘s autobiography, “Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time” (Free Press, $26), references much more than the actress’s Jenny Craig weight-loss program.
The 47-year-old actress opens up about her romance with Steven Spielberg and her rocky marriage to rocker Eddie Van Halen.
“I don’t throw anybody under the bus here,” says Bertinelli, who sent her ex-husband an advance copy. “The one I’m hardest on is me, and I wanted to make that clear to Ed.
“I said, ‘It’s not about hurting you or hurting anybody else.’ “
One person who’ll avoid the book is the couple’s 16-year-old son, Wolfgang: “He said, ‘Mom, I really don’t want to know that stuff.’ “
Q: From “One Day at a Time” to your angelic role on “Touched by an Angel,” you have maintained a good-girl image. Are you concerned that your confessions of cocaine use, a lesbian kiss and infidelity might change longtime fans’ perception of you?
A: I thought people just already assumed all this because of who I lived with. … I’ve been talking about it so long with my girlfriends that I didn’t think this would be big news. In my own little way, I want to show that we all have a story and our stories are so similar. It would be such an easier place to live if we didn’t pretend to be something we’re not.
Q: You write about placing more blame on one of your ex-husband’s other women than you did on him. Why the double standard?
A: To this day, I really am much more angry at her than I ever would be at him. I don’t mean that all men can’t (be faithful), but a lot of them can’t. There are a lot of great men out there; I happen to be with one right now. I just think as women, we need to stick together, and we don’t need to be (sleeping with) another woman’s man. I’d been to this woman’s house pregnant! There’s nothing more wrong.
Q: You write about your ex in such a loving way. Though you have a boyfriend, are you still in love with your ex-husband?
A: I do love Ed so much, and I care about what happens to him. He’s my son’s father. I was very, very in love with Ed in the beginning, but I was 20. I’ll always love him, but not in that way. It’s now like a mother/son or brother/sister thing.
Q: Now that Wolfie is playing with Van Halen, are you worried about him falling down the same addictive path as his dad?
A: Actually, I think quite the opposite has happened. He has seen what it has done to his father, and he knows what his father’s like when he’s not drinking. He knows how drugs and alcohol change his personality so dramatically, so that has been a helpful tool. Along with my words, actions have a powerful impact.
The birthday bunch
Singer Jennifer Warnes is 61. Actor-director Tim Kazurinsky is 58. Actress Miranda Richardson is 50. Rapper Tone-Loc is 42. Actress Julie Bowen is 38. Actor David Faustino is 34. Actress Jessica Biel is 26.