Valerie Bertinelli is speaking about aging and body image with unusual candor, and at 65 she seems far less interested in pretending everything is fine just to make others comfortable. During a March 24 conversation with Drew Barrymore at 92NY about her memoir Getting Naked, Bertinelli said her breasts are “deformed” after multiple surgeries and joked that, because she is not dating, it does not matter “yet.” The exchange was funny, but it also revealed something deeper: she is no longer measuring her body through the lens of whether it pleases someone else. That same openness runs through her book, which focuses on aging, shame, divorce, menopause, and the pressure many women feel to remain polished no matter what they are experiencing. Bertinelli’s point was not that the issue is easy, but that honesty has made it easier to live with.

She has also explained that the problem began after she had breast implants removed in 2024, following years of no longer feeling comfortable with them. According to her recent interviews, complications after the removal led to infection, tissue damage, and several additional procedures. Even so, Bertinelli has framed this chapter less as a story about appearance and more as one about reclaiming ownership of her life and voice. In a March 21 Instagram post about Getting Naked, she said writing the book helped her uncover shame, own it, and stop letting others use it against her. That perspective seems to define where she is now: not chasing perfection, but choosing truth, humor, and self-acceptance over performance.