American actress Valerie Bertinelli alleged that a diet company once ended a spokesperson contract with her because she gained weight.
65-year-old Bertinelli is a two-time Golden Globe winner, former host of Kids Baking Championship, and currently serves as a ‘Drew Crew’ lifestyle expert on The Drew Barrymore Show.
In 2012, the icon received a coveted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her film and TV efforts, with the ceremony taking place just days before the fourth season of Hot in Cleveland entered production.
On the 14 January episode of Drew Barrymore’s talk show, Bertinelli reflected on the ‘joyful’ event, admitting she was ‘horrified’ whilst taking pictures.
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She prefaced the anecdote by revealing she’d become a spokesperson for a diet program five years before the celebration. She aligned with the business after successfully losing 50 pounds on the plan.
“And then, life started to get the better of me and I wasn't taking care of my mental and emotional health, so the weight started to come back on."
The mother-of-one claimed that 2012 was the ‘last year’ that she worked with the business before they ultimately ‘fired’ her.
“They said: ‘We can't keep going with you because you're gaining weight again.’ And I remember thinking, ‘But size 12's not that big’.
People reported that Bertinelli emotionally said that she’d been at her current weight her ‘whole life’, and that she was fitting into size 10 clothes.
“I would have been horrified then being on the diet program being a size 10 but right now it's about my mental and emotional health. And my mental and emotional health, even though I'm getting teary eyed, is so strong right now.
“I'm so strong and firm in who I am and no matter what people throw at me, I know who I am and I know what kind of person I am and it doesn't matter how much I weigh,” the Touched by an Angel favourite told Barrymore, 50, and her co-anchor, Ross Mathews, 46.
“What matters is who I am, how I treat people, period.”
She added that she still has the dress that that she wore for the Hollywood star unveiling in her wardrobe, and that it still fits her.
“It doesn't matter what size we are," she added.
"What is our heart? How do we treat people? Period.”
In March, Bertinelli’s new memoir, Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect, is set to release.
The celebrity chef previously told People that she was ‘nervous’ for people to read the book because it was ‘almost uncomfortably personal’.
"I’m hoping it reaches the right people so that they can see themselves in it and know that there’s a way through all the challenges we have in our life.”
An official synopsis stated that Getting Naked will address ‘insecurities that have haunted her for decades’ and will touch upon topics such as ‘beauty love and success’.
“It’s about unlearning the script that says women must please, endure and stay silent,” the synopsis added.
You can pre-order Getting Naked now ahead of its release on 23 March.
Topics: Celebrity, US Food, TV and Film
Ella Scott