Actress Valerie Bertinelli Talks About Her Weight Gain, Feeling Fat Shame

Actress Valerie Bertinelli, who lost 40 pounds on Jenny Craig back in 2012, admitted recently that she's gained a lot of the weight back. But she's not ashamed—not anymore at least.

"I started thinking, 'Why do I feel so much shame?' Because the cameras are on me? Because the paparazzi can't wait to get a picture of me looking like I've gained a few pounds? It's like, we have to take the shame out of it,'" the Hot in Cleveland actress recently said in an interview on The Talk.  

Three months ago, the 53-year-old actress broke her foot. Since she was unable to work out, she saw the pounds slowly creep back.

"It started to panic me and panic me," said Valerie, who was only recently able to start back at the gym. "And then I thought, 'Well, wait a minute. This is my body. I'm almost 54. I broke my foot; I haven't been able to move.'" Sure, she wants to get back to her ideal weight—but she's not going to risk her health getting there. 

In the meantime, she's not going to let the paparazzi let her feel ashamed for being human. "We all need to give each other a break, especially women," she said. "Let's leave each other alone."

Of course, you don't have to be followed by photographers to suffer from body insecurities. There are lots of reasons that you may not feel like you're at your ideal weight—but it's OK to accept and even embrace your body as-is, even when you're trying to drop pounds. Valerie's interview is a reminder that we could all use a healthy dose of confidence. Learn how to bust through body-confidence barriers so you can love your body. 

1. Prev:3 Great Breakfasts for Weight Loss That Are Actually Filling
2. Next:How Food Texture Influences Your Calorie Intake