Valerie Bertinelli’s Ex-Boyfriend Mike Goodnough Speaks Out About Their Split: ‘We Had a Complicated Relationship’

“The dissolution of our relationship and way it played out has been by far the most painful experience of my life,” Goodnough wrote on Instagram on Friday, April 18

 

Valerie Bertinelli’s ex-boyfriend, Mike Goodnough, is breaking his silence about their breakup — and the social media post that unintentionally stirred public drama.

In an Instagram post shared on Friday, April 18, Goodnough, 54, addressed the backlash surrounding a previous post that revealed candid details about his split from the Food Network star. He began the message with a note of reluctance:

“Writing this post makes me absolutely miserable,” he wrote alongside a graphic that read, “You & me. The end.” “But it feels like something I have to do.”

Goodnough, who dated Bertinelli for 10 months, acknowledged that his earlier post had caused unnecessary tension. “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,” he admitted. “The issue addressed was real. My post made it worse rather than better.”

He went on to reflect on their time together, noting the emotional complexity of the relationship. “Valerie and I had a complicated relationship. 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.”

The former couple officially parted ways in November 2024, a split confirmed exclusively to PEOPLE by a source at the time. Prior to this relationship, Valerie Bertinelli was married to financial planner Tom Vitale from 2011 to 2022, following her first marriage to the late Van Halen frontman Eddie Van Halen, which lasted from 1981 to 2007.

According to author Mike Goodnough, their breakup stemmed from “an endless number” of external factors that weighed heavily on the relationship.

“They were things outside of our relationship, per se, which nonetheless interfered,” he wrote. “The one thing that was never an issue was our love for each other. I loved Valerie more than I’ve ever loved someone in a relationship of choice. (My love for my son is a whole different thing.)”

He went on to describe the experience as deeply painful: “The dissolution of our relationship and the way it played out has been by far the most painful experience of my life. It has been so acutely agonizing, it has entirely changed the scale of how much heartbreak can hurt. What was once a 10 is now a four.”

Goodnough concluded his message by confirming that the relationship had officially ended, noting that the two had barely spoken in recent months. He shared that he had reached out to Bertinelli again earlier that week, but received no reply.

“Over the last few months, I had hoped we’d find a way to a gentle parting rather than a closed door but couldn’t seem to get us to one,” he wrote. “I reached out again this week in that hope. No answer is an answer though. I accept it.”

He added, “I won’t have anything more to say about it — and nothing I have to say will be about it. I’ve cried about this enough. It’s time to move on.”

Earlier this month, Goodnough made headlines for another candid post reflecting on their relationship, in which he accused Bertinelli of making “hostile, dishonest, and uncalled-for backhanded swipes.”

“Valerie is in a war with her ghosts. I’m just the guy who catches the bullets. And that isn’t new,” he wrote.

Despite the tension, Goodnough also acknowledged that their time together had moments of profound joy. He recalled being by Bertinelli’s side during the launch of her cookbook Indulge last year, calling it one of “the most joyful” periods of his life.

“Our relationship as partners ended. My caring about her did not,” he concluded.