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Veteran actress Valerie Bertinelli and her boyfriend Mike Goodnough have decided to go their separate ways after 10 months of dating, People magazine has exclusively reported.
"They are no longer in a relationship," a source close to the former couple confirmed. Bertinelli, 64, and Goodnough, who is 10 years her junior, had been in a long-distance relationship since January 2024 after initially connecting a few years earlier through social media.
The pair first went public with their romance in April 2024, with Bertinelli opening up about the relationship in the cover story. She revealed that their connection felt "familiar" and "comfortable" from the start, despite the physical distance between them.
"There was something about him that I connected with that felt familiar. A comfort level. He felt like a kindred spirit," Bertinelli told People at the time.
To help manage the challenges of a bicoastal relationship, Bertinelli and Goodnough implemented a "three-week rule" - a commitment to see each other in person at least once every three weeks. However, by July 2024, Bertinelli admitted that adhering to this schedule had "been challenging" as their summer schedules filled up.
Despite their best efforts, it seems the pair ultimately could not make the long-distance arrangement work. In a press statement , Goodnough acknowledged the private nature of their relationship, saying, "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."
The split comes as the latest chapter in Bertinelli's dating history. Prior to her relationship with Goodnough, the "Hot in Cleveland" star was married to legendary musician Eddie Van Halen from 1981 to 2007. They share a son, Wolfgang Van Halen. Bertinelli was also previously married to financial planner Tom Vitale, divorcing in 2022 after 11 years of marriage.
Throughout her relationships, Bertinelli has been candid about the challenges of trust and vulnerability, once writing on Instagram: "Learning to trust again after having that trust destroyed is not an easy thing."
While Bertinelli and Goodnough's romance has come to an end, the actress remains grateful for the positive impact he had on her life. "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," she shared on social media in June 2024.
