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Valerie Bertinelli is sharing one of the most personal chapters of her life, revealing for the first time that she was sexually abused at the age of 11.
In a new interview with People published March 4, the actress and author said she finally feels ready to speak openly about the trauma as she continues her healing
journey. "I guess because I'm healing from it, it's not so scary anymore," Bertinelli said. "I can say it out loud. I was sexually assaulted. It doesn't feel like it owns me anymore."
The revelation comes ahead of the release of her upcoming memoir, Getting Naked, which arrives March 10. Bertinelli explained that she originally did not intend to include the experience in the book, noting, "I had no plans to reveal this." She added that the project initially began as "a book about teaching people how to love themselves," before evolving into something more deeply personal. "I did not know that I would go this far," she admitted.
Instead, the Golden Globe winner said she chose to tell what she described as the "raw truth." "It's about getting naked with who I am, emotionally, physically," she explained. "It was really about getting to the nitty gritty and getting to the parts that I thought were shameful and come to find out they're not."
Bertinelli revealed that it took at least a decade to feel ready to speak publicly. "It's taken me 10 years at least," she said, recalling that the first time she told her therapist, she expected relief. "The very first time I said it out loud to my therapist, I thought I'm going to feel better now." However, she shared that "it got worse before it got better."
During that difficult period, she acknowledged turning to coping habits. "I maybe ate a little bit more, drank a little bit more," she said, explaining that removing those comforts forced her to confront painful emotions. Ultimately, she chose to face the experience head-on. "You can deal with them or not. And I chose to deal with them. I don't feel shame about it anymore. I'm pissed off that it happened. Nobody deserves that."
In the memoir, Bertinelli deliberately opens the chapter about the abuse with a childhood photo of herself at age 11, explaining that it represents the young girl who endured the experience. She said it still deeply disturbs her to think about what happened and expressed anger that similar abuse continues to occur today, stressing the need for people to speak up and draw a firm line against it.
Reflecting on her younger self, Bertinelli described a typical, carefree child. "I loved to color, read, play with my Barbies and ride my bike around the block. I loved my cats. I was just a little girl," she said, before adding firmly, "... I'm a survivor."
The actress continues to focus on healing through therapy, her work, and support from loved ones, including her son Wolfgang Van Halen.
