Valerie Bertinelli reveals she hasn’t tried GLP‑1s and says, “I don’t judge anybody for how they lose weight.” In this week’s PEOPLE cover story, the star also shares that she feels the same way about plastic surgery: “Anything that someone else is doing that doesn’t affect your life, leave them alone.”
Botox wasn’t for her, she adds — noting that bangs became her go‑to solution for covering forehead wrinkles.
Valerie Bertinelli hasn’t used GLP‑1s to lose weight, but she fully supports those who have found them helpful.
“I think whatever anybody does to help themselves get to a better place to where they feel good about themselves, they should do it,” she tells PEOPLE. “I may not want to have plastic surgery but I don’t judge anybody. I don’t judge anybody for how they lose weight. It’s flippin’ hard to do.”
In her new book Getting Naked, out March 10, the 65‑year‑old writes candidly about letting go of shame — including the critical voices tied to body size. “I think we need to take a lot of the judgment out of all of it,” she says. “Plastic surgery, GLP‑1s, anything that someone else is doing that doesn’t affect your life, leave them alone.”
“It doesn’t mean I won’t have a neck lift. It doesn’t mean I won’t try GLP‑1s,” she continues. “It means no for now. It’s also helped a lot of people.” Bertinelli feels the same about Botox, which she’s tried but ultimately decided wasn’t for her. “I didn’t like how it made my eyebrows go like this,” she says, mimicking a strained expression. “Anyways, you just get bangs and they cover a lot of wrinkles!”
She admits she once “so badly wanted to get a neck lift,” but fear held her back after recent surgeries to remove her breast implants led to a serious infection and complications. “I’m going to learn how to appreciate this,” she says. She calls it “the quiet work of becoming perfectly imperfect,” a new acceptance that has brought her a sense of calm.
With new projects — including her digital platform Valerie’s Place — Bertinelli is excited for what’s ahead. “You’re going to get three cooking shows, a podcast and a book group,” she says. “I want to build a community where, yes, it’s my place, but everybody is welcome. And I’ll do some live cooking shows.”
She’s also returning to acting with the upcoming Lifetime movie Love, Again, premiering May 9. “It’s a gorgeous love story,” she says. “It was so much fun digging into a character and seeing how raw I can get with my emotions — and how much I can lose myself.”
