Valerie Bertinelli Opened Up About Breast Implants, Moving Past Body Image Struggles & Refusing To Drive Herself ‘Crazy’

Mar 12, 2026 by apost team

At 65, Valerie Bertinelli is stripping away more than just old insecurities. She’s posing in the buff for the cover of her new memoir, laughing about her body’s changes with zero apology, and coming clean about a “boob job” she got back in the ’80s that she eventually came to regret. For Bertinelli, this is what becoming freer actually looks like.

According to Bertinelli, her book, “Getting Naked,” was about finding freedom in what she called being “perfectly imperfect.” And that freedom shows up in the way she now talks about her body — with humor, honesty, and a lot less guilt than she used to carry.

“Would I like my body to be more taut and not have this?” she told PEOPLE with a laugh, gesturing to her upper arms. “Of course. But I am in my sixties. You know what? My body goes up and down stairs. Downstairs hurts a little bit more. But I can carry my 35-pound dog when she has an amputation. And I can stand watching my son for two hours on stage — and it’s heaven.”

She said she doesn’t weigh herself much these days either. After noticing her jeans felt tight following the holidays, she checked in with herself but kept it in perspective. “I’m also not going to drive myself crazy,” she said. For her, it’s a mindset that has taken decades to develop. She said growing up, she was repeatedly told that her body wasn’t good enough and that she needed to weigh 110 pounds.

“Well, who could be 110 pounds? Yes, at 15, but no, I’ll never see that weight again, and I don’t need to. Because that’s underweight,” she stated.

But the road to self-acceptance hasn’t been without its bumps — literally. Bertinelli revealed in “Getting Naked“ that she had breast implants during the late ’80s but had them removed in 2024. What followed was a serious infection that required emergency follow-up surgery.

“The look on my doctor’s face when he finally saw me made me think, ‘Oh s--- I guess I should have come in earlier,’” she recalled to PEOPLE.

The infection was severe enough that it caused part of her breast to cave in.

“It became a crater,” she said plainly.

Despite the ordeal, Bertinelli found a way to laugh about it.

“Me and these guys are the only ones looking at my boobs anyways,” she joked, pointing to her cats. “I can’t see without my glasses on. I’ll have to date somebody who can’t see.” She paused, then added: “Anybody want to date me? It was so serious I just had to find the humor in it.”

For the moment, Bertinelli has been focused on what genuinely brings her joy. She loves watching her son,Wolfgang Van Halen, perform live, disclosing that his bandmates affectionately call her “Mama Wolf.” Bertinelli is also part of the “Drew Crew” of lifestyle experts on the “Drew Barrymore Show.” She was also set to launch her digital platform, Valerie’s Place, all the while making time to spend quiet evenings watching what she calls “Bird TV” – peaceful bird videos on YouTube – with her cats.

“I’m a senior taking care of seniors,” she said with a happy smile. For a woman who spent so many years at war with her own reflection, that kind of lightness feels like the most hard-won victory of all.

apost.com

Have you followed Valerie Bertinelli’s journey over the years? Do you think her honesty about body image and aging is something more women in the spotlight should embrace? Let us know, and then pass this on to your family, friends, and other Valerie Bertinelli fans out there!