Monday would have been Betty White’s 100th birthday! Sadly, she passed away on New Year’s Eve after suffering from a stroke. Now, White’s former “Hot In Cleveland” costar Valerie Bertinelli is speaking out to talk about how she paid tribute to the late “Golden Girl” on her birthday. 

Bertinelli Opens Up About White

When asked by Extra how she celebrated White’s birthday, Bertinelli said, “Well, I went to bed at 6 o’clock because I had to get up at 3. So I wanted to have a vodka on the rocks with a hot dog, so I’ll be doing that in her honor tonight.”

“I think about her all the time,” she added. “I mean, whenever I look at my animals, she named two of my pets, so she’s just she’s always around me, always. You know, it’s always, like, harder for us because we’re left behind, but I’m so happy for her because I know she’s with [husband] Allen [Ludden]. I know she’s with all the animals that went before her. I know she is in literal heaven. She absolutely is.”

Bertinelli told People that, “Betty just oozes gratitude and she glows. I’ve never met another human being that glows. She’s just, she’s not of this world. And we are all blessed to have her here.”

She also noted White’s laugh calling it “the most joyous giggle.” 

“That giggle that she had. And when you were the one that got that giggle out of her, I mean, [costar] Jane Leeves and I were always trying to make Betty laugh,” recounted Bertinelli.

Related: Betty White Uttered This Powerful Last Word Says ‘Carol Burnett Show’ Star Vicki Lawrence

White and Bertinelli starred together on the TV Land sitcom “Hot In Cleveland” from 2010 until 2015, and they became close friends during that time. If you’ve never seen the show, you can find it on a few streaming services including Paramount Plus and Amazon. Here’s a video of Betty White’s bloopers from “Hot In Cleveland.”

Watch Bertinelli talk more about her friendship with White in the video below.

Bertinelli Talks Eddie Van Halen’s Death

In this same interview, Bertinelli talked about her “biggest regret” regarding her ex-husband Eddie Van Halen, who died in October of 2020.

“I just I wish that I hadn’t been so nervous to go over there a lot during the last year of his life,” she confessed. “He was alone in that big house and I wish that I had gone over there more to be with him. And I know we tried and we tried, but with COVID, it made it more challenging, and that’s my biggest regret that I didn’t spend more time with him, because he was lonely.”

Bertinelli was by Van Halen’s side for his final moments, explaining, “I didn’t know those would be my last words to him. After we told each other we love each other and we’re holding him, we said, ‘We’ll see you tomorrow,’ and tomorrow never came because he had a massive stroke that night. He never woke up from that, and a couple days later, he was gone.”

Related: Valerie Bertinelli’s Son Wolf Van Halen Wants Revenge Against Troll Who Called Her Fat

‘Treat Someone Like You’re Never Going To See Them Again’

“That was really hard, and if I can give any small bit of wisdom to anybody, it’s to treat someone like you’re never going to see them again and let them know how you feel about them because you just don’t you just don’t know when, when is going to be the last time that you see them,” Bertinelli advised. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Clearly, this has been a very difficult time for Valerie Bertinelli. We applaud her for being so open with her fans about these very personal losses. 

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