Los Angeles-based 'One Day at a Time' alum began dating East Coast writer Mike Goodnough this year
Valerie Bertinelli is a busy woman, but making time for the new man in her life is a priority for the in-demand star.
"It's been challenging," the former "One Day at a Time" star told People magazine this week of their long-distance relationship. "The summer has been booked full. It is challenging."
In April, the 63-year-old opened up about her relationship with writer Mike Goodnough, who she started seeing this year, explaining that the couple has a rule that they get together every three weeks despite living on separate coasts.
"We never go longer than that without seeing each other," she said at the time. "After all, it’s about finding the joy in life and sharing it."
Valerie Bertinelli started dating writer Mike Goodnough this year. (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Goodnough is Bertinelli’s first relationship since finalizing her divorce with Tom Vitale.
Bertinelli wrote in a June Instagram post that she was "learning to trust" with Goodnough again after having her "trust destroyed" during her "toxic" marriage.
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"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 added.
Valerie Bertinelli and Tom Vitale finalized their divorce in November 2022. (Rich Polk/Getty Images for St. John)
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Bertinelli, who was also married to Eddie Van Halen from 1981 to 2007 and has one son, Wolfgang Van Halen, 33, first met Goodnough on Instagram a few years ago and they began dating this year.
The former Food Network star also told People this week that she wants to be more private about her relationship going forward.
Valerie Bertinelli says her long-distance relationship has been challenging. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
"A part of me is just like, it's been so public, and now I'm trying to pull back and make it so much less public and try to keep some stuff for us now," she said. "It's like, ‘Oh, but yeah, I let the cat out of the bag.' I don't know. I would like to start keeping it between us and make it a little bit more special."
She added, "Even though I was so public with it, now part of me wants to just protect."
