Watch Valerie Bertinelli and Kelly Clarkson Get Candid About Body Image Growing Up

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Kelly Clarkson and Valerie Bertinelli are two of the most authentic, honest women in Hollywood. So it comes as no surprise that when Bertinelli visited The Kelly Clarkson Show this week, they tackled some real, raw topics—including body image.

Bertinelli has long been open about her struggles with weight and complicated relationship with the scale. In her memoir, Enough Already, the Food Network star details her experience with crash dieting and how she was conditioned to feel about herself at a young age.

“I learned at a young age that gaining weight was unlovable … so I’m still trying to purge that out of my system because that’s not true. It’s just a lie,” Bertinelli told Clarkson.

Clarkson agreed and admitted to having similar struggles. But she was quick to stop them in their tracks. “What I am glad about is, I think so many things happened to me when I was young about my weight that, even at a young age—like, so many things got said—that’s whenever I was just like: ‘Whatever, I’m not gonna please anyone,’” she recalled.

Bertinelli applauded her strength. “God bless you,” she said. “It’s hard when you learn as a little girl, and then trying to get that out. So for you to break that as a little girl is something to be really proud of. It took me a long time.”

The “Since You Been Gone” singer was 20 when she won American Idol and began her legendary career in the spotlight, so she’s grateful to have made those strides beforehand. “I was lucky it happened before I got in the industry because … it’s very hard,” she said.

Still, despite being down-to-earth, the pair admitted to not always giving themselves equal treatment. “I had advice actually given to me for 2022, and it was treat yourself how you treat others,” Clarkson said. “Because I feel like we are kind to people a lot often, more than to ourselves, which is so crappy.”

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Bertinelli nodded. “I’m just done judging myself. I’m done with all the negative talk that I give myself, because there’s enough negative talk out there,” she said. Instead, she said she’s “changing the perspective, and changing the view, and the narrative.”

And if these ladies can teach us anything, it’s that it’s never too late to rewrite your story.

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