Valerie Bertinelli Tears Up As She Talks About Her Son and How She Spent Her 60th Birthday

From Good Housekeeping

• Food Network host and Hot in Cleveland star Valerie Bertinelli is celebrating her 60th birthday while sheltering in place in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• During a live Today interview with Hoda Kotb, Valerie opened up on her relationship with her son, Wolfie. The pair celebrated her birthday this week as best they could; her son stood outside Valerie's home.

• Valerie has donated $60,000 to numerous organizations to help support at-risk communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Valerie Bertinelli celebrated a major milestone this week — her 60th birthday! But her birthday celebrations have taken on a new form as she's currently at home in Los Angeles, as social distancing orders are in place in California and most of the United States. During a live interview on NBC's Today, Bertinelli celebrated turning 60 with all of the morning show's hosts, including Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, later toasting with Carson Daly, Al Roker, and Craig Melvin as well.

Despite current events, she says she feels "gratitude" on the life she was able to build, especially with her son Wolfgang Van Halen, who helped Valerie celebrate as best as he could.

Related: Behind-the-Scenes with Valerie Bertinelli at 50 Years Old

Valerie says her 29-year-old son was able to stop by for her birthday earlier this week. Like many others have done, they celebrated the happy occasion from a distance. "Wolfie did come over one day with his mask and his gloves on, and he wouldn't come in the house," she told Hoda. "He just stood outside. It's heartbreaking, but sheltering in place is what's going to get us through this, as hard and challenging as it is…"

The Food Network host and former One Day at a Time star says raising her son has been one of the highlights of her life. When asked about what he meant to her, she replied, "That I know how to do something right." Fighting emotions, Valerie added: “The moment I became his mother, I felt right in the world… I felt whole. He’s just a very special human being, and I love him dearly."

While the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly affected her in her own way, Valerie is focusing on giving back for her birthday this year, saying she's working to "connect" with people now more than ever before. Her birthday wish? "Just to find that pure joy, that pure happiness that oozes out from all of us and to connect that with other people, to reach out and be of service to people, in any way possible," she says.

In honor of turning 60, Valerie has donated $60,000 to a few different organizations working to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on at-risk communities. Her birthday gift has gone to the National Domestic Workers Alliance, No Kid Hungry, Blessings in a Backpack, and the Giving Back Fund to help Americans in crisis.

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