Valerie Bertinelli Admits She's Battling Old 'Demons' in Her New Relationship With Mike Goodnough But Says He's 'Worth Fighting For'

Though Valerie Bertinelli is head over heels for new boyfriend Mike Goodnough, the One Day at a Time alum admitted she's still facing some of the "demons" she dealt with in her "toxic" marriage to ex Tom Vitale.

The mom-of-one got candid in a Tuesday, June 25, Instagram post, revealing she began her "healing journey" at the end of 2022.

"I wanted my life to be different than it was and I wanted to be a whole and emotionally healthy human being," the 64-year-old began her caption. "Being vulnerable and authentic are two things I thought I had really worked on and accomplished and I really thought I had conquered most of my demons."

However, that turned out not to be the case, as she explained, "I have heard that being in a relationship after healing from a toxic one will bring out some triggers you didn’t know were still buried. And ain’t that the truth."

Bertinelli confessed that "learning to trust again" after being betrayed is "not an easy thing," as "those demons want to protect you from being vulnerable and emotionally exposed ever again."

But unlike the other men she's met, she feels Goodnough "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," the Food Network star gushed.

She concluded her post, which featured a photo of the writer, by penning, "And look at him. 🥰 I mean…"

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As OK! reported, Bertinelli and Goodnough first connected via social media years ago, but things didn't turn romantic until they started communicating more this year.

The chef was shocked to find Mr. Right after her divorces from Vitale and Eddie Van Halen, as she truly believed she would spend the rest of her life without a romantic partner.

For a while, she kept his identity under wraps, but he spilled the beans in an April post on his Substack.

"Life is crazy, kids. It just is. It’ll rain h---fire down on you for years and bring you to your knees… and then it’ll open the skies to deep blue and love and calling someone 'Honey' because you just love the absolute h--- out of her and feel so very thankful for the gift of that feeling, the gift of her," he raved. "So, the little rumor going around, consider it happily confirmed. I just adore her. I’m so glad we’re together."

The couple made their red carpet debut at the 2024 Daytime Emmys earlier this month.