Valerie Bertinelli opens up about 'deformed' breasts after multiple surgeries

Valerie Bertinelli got candid about her body during a March 10 In Conversation event with Drew Barrymore at 92NY in New York. 

The 65-year-old actress shared humorous and heartfelt insights from her memoir, Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect, revealing the challenges she’s faced with her breasts.

“If you read the book, you’ll know that my boobs are deformed, and I talk very extensively and graphically about how deformed they are,” Bertinelli told Barrymore. 

She explained that she underwent four surgeries in 2024 following the removal of breast implants she’d had since the late 1980s.

Bertinelli recounted the complications: after having the implants removed, she suffered a serious infection that caused her breasts to “cave in” and form a crater, requiring additional 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 said. She added that she still needs one more procedure to even out her chest.

Despite the difficulties, Bertinelli kept the conversation lighthearted, joking with Barrymore about dating: “My boobs suck, but I’m not dating, so it doesn’t matter,” she said, prompting Barrymore to quip, “Yet!” She also joked about her cats, saying, “Me and these guys are the only ones looking at my boobs anyways, but I don’t care because I can’t see without my glasses on.”

The actress reflected on her past surgeries, explaining that while she once liked her breast implants, repeated weight changes and natural aging led her to remove them. “I just want my small boobs back,” she said.

Bertinelli, who starred in One Day at a Time and was a longtime host on Food Network, has had a colorful personal life. 

She married late musician Eddie Van Halen in 1981, and they had a son, Wolfgang Van Halen, 35. 

They divorced in 2007 due to Van Halen’s substance issues and infidelity. Bertinelli later married financial planner Tom Vitale in 2011, divorcing in 2022 citing “irreconcilable differences.”