American actress and television personality Valerie Bertinelli has reportedly filed for legal separation from Tom Vitale, her husband of ten years. Although Bertinelli has not yet filed for divorce, she cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split in court documents.
The two had no children together, and Bertinelli is hoping to terminate the court of its ability to award spousal support. Their prenuptial agreement, dated Dec. 21, 2010, is “fully binding on the parties” and unlikely to undergo altercation from court proceedings.
The One Day at a Time and Food Network star met Vitale in 2004 when her brother introduced the two. Vitale, a financial planner, TV producer and entrepreneur, is said to have a net worth of $5 million. Vitale amassed his wealth through serving as the EVP of programming & original movies for Syfy and Chiller and co-founding Veebow, an e-commerce company.
In an interview with BusinessWire, Vitale disclosed that Veebow was inspired by Bertinelli herself when she asked “If coupons are supposed to be free, why do people have to pay for them online?” It is clear that Vitale was not opposed to leveraging Bertinelli’s notoriety to increase interest, as she soon become the public face of the company and subsequent app.
Before her union with Vitale, Bertinelli was married to Eddie Van Halen, the primary songwriter and guitarist of the rock band Van Halen. After exchanging nuptials in 1981 and having a now 29-year-old son, Wolfgang Van Halen, together, the two divorced in 2007.
Following Van Halen’s passing in 2007 from lung cancer, Bertinelli tweeted a heartfelt photo with the caption “40 years ago my life changed forever when I met you … I’m so grateful Wolfie and I were able to hold you in your last moments. I will see you in our next life my love.” Bertinelli and Van Halen’s post-divorce relationship was purportedly amicable, but it is currently unclear if she and Vitale will share a similar association following their split.
