Valerie Bertinelli’s new memoir, Getting Naked, pulls no punches: the One Day at a Time alum reveals a ruptured breast implant that led to multiple surgeries, revisits childhood trauma, and reflects on her complicated love for Eddie Van Halen. The revelations arrive as Bertinelli promotes the book and talk-show appearances, and they mark a raw, public reckoning for the 65-year-old actress.
What happened: the implant rupture and surgeries
Bertinelli writes that she accidentally popped her right breast implant after falling down the stairs. What followed were three surgeries and months of recovery. A plastic surgeon warned her that cleaning a ruptured implant could be difficult and that she would still need new implants; six weeks after the fall she had surgery to remove the old devices.
She describes seeing the removed implants as “like ostrich eggs, hard and crusted over.” Initially hopeful, she says complications emerged: her breast turned shades of green, yellow and blue, began to swell and she developed a fever. An infection required emergency treatment and a second operation to remove infected tissue.
That second procedure left a severe wound and what she and surgeons called “cratering,” with the nipple area badly damaged. “It looked like a horror movie — and it was,” Bertinelli writes. It took about six months for that side to heal, and a third surgery placed a smaller implant under the muscle to repair damage. She says her breasts are now different sizes and that she expects a fourth operation to even them out.
Why this matters now
Bertinelli timed these disclosures with Getting Naked’s release and interviews on Access Hollywood and with PEOPLE, aiming to be candid about physical and emotional scars. Beyond a celebrity anecdote, her story highlights risks of implant complications and the long recovery people can face after rupture and infection.
Emotional rawness: childhood abuse and the book’s purpose
Separately and intentionally vulnerable, Bertinelli writes about being sexually assaulted at age 11. She told Access Hollywood that the courage to “get naked” emotionally was the driving force behind the memoir and that sharing painful memories was difficult but necessary. The book is dedicated to her son, Wolfgang, and she has spoken playfully about hoping he’ll one day give her a grandchild.
On Eddie Van Halen: love that endures
In interviews, Bertinelli also revisits her marriage to Eddie Van Halen. She says she still loves him and is grateful for their last year together before his 2020 death, while acknowledging their problems—especially around his substance use. “I can’t help but love the man,” she told PEOPLE, adding that she wishes she’d had more compassion back then but accepts the choices they made.
Reaction and what’s next
Coverage has been immediate: the memoir’s frank passages have sparked conversation across entertainment outlets and social media about survivor voices, medical complications, and the messy realities of public relationships. Fans have praised her honesty; medical and mental-health conversations are likely to follow.
Getting Naked is available now. Bertinelli says she still expects a fourth cosmetic procedure to even her breasts and continues to speak publicly about healing—physical and emotional—as she promotes the book.