Valerie Bertinelli Reflects on Relationship With Late Mom in Emotional Post: ‘So Much Left Unsaid’

Valerie Bertinelli is looking back at her relationship with her late mother in a touching social media tribute.

Taking to Instagram on Friday, July 18, the actress shared a photo of her workspace, and noted the latest decor addition — a photograph of her mother Nancy who died in 2019 at age 82 from rheumatoid arthritis.

“I added a picture of my mom just recently,” Bertinelli, 65, captioned the post. “This is her at 18, I think. Isn’t she beautiful?”

As she continued the caption, the One Day at a Time alum reflected on her grief and how much she missed her mother.

“I’ve been talking to her a lot lately. I know she hears me. I can feel it, but I wish she were here so I could see it in her eyes,” she wrote. “There was so much left unsaid when she was alive. My regrets have passed, but I hope she knows how much I loved her.”

Bertinelli also explained the inclusion of an inspirational quote placard in her workspace, which sat next to the photo of her mother.

“I’ve had this quote ‘Life does not put things in front of you that you are unable to handle’ for what feels like forever, always sitting there, always reminding me,” Bertinelli wrote.

She added, “It has proven to be quite true. Life may feel incredibly difficult and challenging sometimes, but I always get through it. And the happier, peaceful times far outweigh the difficult ones.”

Bertinelli has admitted in the past that she’s often quite a reflective person. After sharing news of a new relationship with Mike Goodnough in April 2024, she posted about her gratitude for her fans’ support after taking a walk to reflect on the sentiment.

“When I go on my walks, I do a lot of reflecting. Sometimes sweet, sometimes challenging,” Bertinelli wrote via Instagram at the time. “Reflecting on this week and the kindness all of you have shown me in our conversations at the Indulge book signings, and here online, I just wanted to send out a huge thank you for supporting me and for all your sweet responses to my life updates. 🥰.”

Despite the fan support for the relationship, Bertinelli and Goodnough called it quits 10 months later.

Goodnough, 54, spoke out about the couple’s split via a lengthy Instagram post in April 2025, which featured an image of text that read: “You & me. The end.”

“Writing this post makes me absolutely miserable,” he wrote. “But it feels like something I have to do.”

He continued, “A couple weeks ago, there was an ado about conflict between Valerie and I that ended up in the press. A post of mine here was the cause of it. I regret having posted it. I wish I hadn’t. The issue addressed was real. My post made it worse rather than better.”

“Valerie and I had a complicated relationship,” Goodnough added. “Our time as a couple ended months ago but our close contact only really ended recently. So, it is more ‘fresh’ than it would seem.”