Valerie Bertinelli "can't just blame" her ex-husband for their "toxic, horrible marriage".

Valerie Bertinelli divorced Tom Vitale in 2022

Valerie Bertinelli divorced Tom Vitale in 2022

The 63-year-old actress acknowledges that Tom Vitale wasn't entirely responsible for their failed marriage.

During an appearance on 'The Drew Barrymore Show', Valerie explained: "I can't just blame my ex-husband for a toxic, horrible marriage. It's not his fault. What led me to that? Oh, childhood! That's the stuff I got to start working on.

"I've found that when my gratitude is really placed in even the challenging, hard times, that's when the growth really happens."

Valerie - who was married to Tom between 2011 and 2022 - explained that she's still working through her own childhood trauma.

The actress acknowledges that her troubled past continues to influence her life.

Valerie - who was married to Eddie Van Halen between 1981 and 2007 - said: "The business can really mess with a child's head. I'm going back to the childhood stuff and working on that."

Meanwhile, Valerie has revealed that she's now dating a "hot" new boyfriend.

The 'Touched by an Angel' actress also admitted that her new man is ten years her junior.

She quipped: "I was not going to date. I was going to die alone with my six cats and my dog and be very happy alone. He was not supposed to come into my life and here he is, he's ten years younger.

"He's amazing. He would like to think he's complicated and brooding, but he's thoughtful and kind and ridiculously talented. He's an amazing writer. He's gorgeous, like, so hot. He does it for me."

What's more, Valerie teased details of how they met.

She said: "I actually started following him on Twitter back in 2016 or 17. He has a really amazing Twitter following. He's very funny, very acerbic, and political at that time."