Valerie Bertinelli Shares Swimsuit Selfie After Revealing She Finally Feels Comfortable in Her Skin

Valerie Bertinelli is eagerly awaiting the first day of autumn!

On Sunday, August 11, the actress shared a smiley selfie while wearing a swimsuit to note she was enjoying "the last dog day of summer," admitting that up until now, she never knew what the popular phrase for the warmer months meant.

"It has nothing to do with dogs and everything do with Sirius, the dog star," the Food Network star noted. "The dog days of summer are the 20 days before and the 20 days after Sirius has become visible in the east when the sky is still dark right before sunrise."

"And it’s hot as f---," the mom-of-onem, 64, quipped. "Anyway, this is me waiting patiently for the fall equinox. 😜."

The star's newfound confidence has been of full display lately after struggling with body image for decades.

In an April interview, the chef explained she finally felt comfortable in her skin when she tried on her "fat jeans" from 2008, a time period when she thought she was too heavy.

"They fit me perfectly, and I didn't feel fat and I'm not fat. So what the h--- is wrong with diet culture? I looked fine. I looked beautiful," she shared. "And that was my before picture? It was a huge a-ha moment. They fit and I'm at the best place in my life."

The self-esteem boost may have also helped her be more open to new opportunities, as even though she swore off dating after two divorces, she couldn't help but fall head over heels for her now-boyfriend, Mike Goodnough.

Though the twosome kept things on the down-low for a while, the writer confirmed they were in a relationship in April.

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"I am Valerie Bertinelli’s boyfriend… and that may well be among the most surreal sentences I’ve ever pecked out. But it’s true… and nothing about our actual relationship seems surreal," he shared on his Hoarse Whisperings Substack. "It just seems… good… lucky… a gift."

"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," Goodnough gushed. "So, the little rumor going around, consider it happily confirmed. I just adore her. I’m so glad we’re together."

The pair made their red carpet debut when Goodnough accompanied Bertinelli to the 2024 Daytime Emmys in June.