Actress and author Valerie Bertinelli was married to businessman Tom Vitale for more than a decade before they went their separate ways.
The pair met shortly after Bertinelli divorced her first husband, late rock star Eddie Van Halen, with whom she shares her son, Wolfgang Van Halen.
Bertinelli and Vitale dated for six years before they got engaged in 2010. “I could have spent the rest of my life with Tom and not be married, but I wanted to call him ‘my husband,’ ” the Hot in Cleveland star told PEOPLE at the time. “I really wanted to share how I feel about Tom with the people I love.”
During their 10-year marriage, Bertinelli and Vitale co-founded the internet startup Veebow and Vitale made appearances on Hot in Cleveland and Valerie’s Home Cooking.
Fans were shocked when Bertinelli filed for legal , citing “irreconcilable differences.” She then amended her petition to ask for a divorce in .
2004: Valerie Bertinelli and Tom Vitale meet
Bertinelli was introduced to Vitale by her brother, Patrick Bertinelli, while she was visiting her parents in Scottsdale, Arizona. The One Day at a Time star had just separated from Van Halen at the time and Vitale had also recently gone through a divorce.
“Val and I were coming from a tough time and wanting to move on but didn’t want to trust anyone,” Vitale told AARP The Magazine in 2010. “We just understood each other completely . My family is her family. It wasn’t love at first sight; it was family at first sight.”
: Valerie Bertinelli and Tom Vitale get engaged
After six years of dating, Vitale surprised Bertinelli with a proposal in Florence, Italy. “We’d talked about getting married, but I was still shocked,” she said to PEOPLE. “It was sweet when he asked me, because he was so scared. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?'”
: Valerie Bertinelli is “happiest” with Tom Vitale
Even before they were officially married, Bertinelli and Vitale were in a “honeymoon phase,” according to a friend of the couple. “She’s happiest when they’re together,” the actress’ trainer, Christopher Lane, told PEOPLE. “She’s thrilled to be with the man she loves.”
: Tom Vitale discusses his future with Valerie Bertinelli
Though Bertinelli and Vitale were looking forward to their big day, they focused on planning their future rather than the wedding itself. “We’ve both had good weddings [before],” Vitale told PEOPLE at the premiere of Hot in Cleveland, which Bertinelli starred in alongside Betty White. “Now we want a good marriage.”
: Valerie Bertinelli and Tom Vitale plan a “very small” wedding
The pair agreed that their wedding should be a small affair with little fanfare, as they had both been married before. “For me, it feels silly. I’m 50. It’s not about the wedding. I just want to have a marriage,” Bertinelli told PEOPLE. “We’re going to get married in Italy, just the two of us and a witness.”
: Valerie Bertinelli and Tom Vitale enjoy pre-wedding honeymoons
Bertinelli and Vitale were ready to start their lives together – the couple took a “pre-honeymoon” in Italy before walking down the aisle. “One hombres blancos que se casan con mujeres Egipcio of these days we’re going to get azing three weeks in Italy, and so now we’re planning our second honeymoon for us to actually get married and go again,” the bride-to-be told PEOPLE. “We’re doing all the honeymoons first.”
: Valerie Bertinelli and Tom Vitale get married
After initially planning a small wedding, the couple had a change of heart. They married at their home in Malibu, California on New Year’s Day in front of 100 guests, surprising them with a wedding ceremony when they arrived. “We’re so happy!” Bertinelli told PEOPLE.
