Valerie Bertinelli Comes Clean on Infidelity in REELZ Documentary

Once known as the squeaky-clean Barbara Cooper on One Day at a Time, Valerie Bertinelli opens up about her personal life that once included drug abuse and cheating on her then-husband Eddie Van Halen in a new REELZ documentary.

“Infidelity, that’s a rough one,” Bertinelli reveals. “The one that’s gone outside the marriage or the one that’s been hurt. I’ve been on both sides. They both suck.”

The wholesome sitcom star fell for rocker Van Halen when she was just 20 years old. Once the good girl/bad boy couple were married, the cheating began.

“There’s a certain amount of trust and vulnerability that comes in a marriage,” says Bertinelli. “When it’s broken, it’s so hard to get back.”

The two-time Golden Globe Award-winning star grew up surrounded by three brothers in suburban Granada Hills, California. That all changed when, after a few acting lessons and commercials, she landed her big break on One Day at a Time.

Suddenly, Bertinelli was famous, independently wealthy and transformed from a good girl to her co-star Mackenzie Phillips’ wing-woman, partying, dating celebrities and capturing the hearts of the country’s adolescent boys.

After marriage to Van Halen, Bertinelli’s image on screen remained pure. Offscreen, however, she battled with cocaine abuse and eating disorders. As her husband toured the world, the pair lapsed into cheating.

Ten years into the marriage, the couple’s baby boy, Wolfgang Van Halen, was a bright spot. However, after 20 years together they divorced in 2007.

“I never want to hurt anybody like that again in my entire life,” says Bertinelli. “And I don’t want to be hurt like that again.”

How did Valerie Bertinelli conquer her demons and learn to love again?

For more, watch Valerie Bertinelli: In My Own Words on REELZ on Sunday, July 19, at 9 p.m. ET.

Watch REELZ on DIRECTV 238, Dish Network 299, Verion FiOS 692, AT&T U-verse 1799 and in HD on cable systems and streaming services nationwide. Find REELZ on your local cable or satellite provider at www.reelz.com.