Valerie Bertinelli defends posting bikini photo

On By Littum

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Valerie Bertinelli is known for her vulnerability – and applause – and now the chef is making a combination of both.

On Monday, she took to Instagram to post a mirror image in a bikiniand writes in the caption that while she plans to “talk about the craziness my body has been through this year,” she finds gratitude in herself, just the way she is.

“But right now, every lumpy wrinkle and limp part of me just feels acceptance and simple appreciation for standing in front of a mirror in a hotel bathroom in downtown Manhattan ready to color my roots late on a Monday night.” she continued.

But Bertinelli didn’t hesitate to slam critics of her revealing photo in a follow-up post on Tuesday, telling fans “I don’t care what you think.”

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“For the first time in my life I love my body the way it is. It’s not the 20 year old body I hated and it’s a real shame I hated that beautiful body,” she wrote, telling fans that “yes, it was a very different body from the one I now inhabit, but it had not yet been through the journey I was to go through.”

“Even as challenging as it has been and is, I’m grateful for this journey and I wouldn’t trade this body for my 20-year-old body any day,” added Bertinelli.

She corrected her note her 1.6 million followers on Instagramand said that “to all of you who would sit and judge my body, the picture and my reason for posting it, I hope you find a place in your heart to not judge yourselves as harshly as you do other.”

In recent months, Bertinelli has opened up about her body and self-care journey.

The former Food Network star opened up about her personal journey with body standards in an Instagram post in February.

“This is a 150lb body on a 5’4 frame. I don’t weigh myself anymore because this is considered overweight by whose standards I don’t know. It’s stupid and I believed them for far too long. I now, finally, know that I am a kind, considerate, funny, thoughtful woman,” Bertinelli subtitles the post then.

“So please remember who you are and what your character is should never be overshadowed by what size you are or how much you weigh. You are enough. Just the way you are,” she continued.