Valerie Bertinelli, 63, reveals her mystery East Coast writer boyfriend is 10 years YOUNGER but is 'mature'... after sharing she has accepted her body

Valerie Bertinelli has been talking a lot about her new writer boyfriend, but still will not name him.

On Wednesday the One Day At A Time veteran told People that he is 10 years younger than her.

She is 63-years-old which means he is 53-years-old. And she feels good about it adding he is 'mature, kind, thoughtful, and patient.'

And she added that they see each other every three weeks as he lives on the East Coast while she is in the Los Angeles area.

'We never go longer than that without seeing each other,' says Bertinelli. 'After all, it's about finding the joy in life and sharing it.'

They had been chatting online for months they in January they first spoke on the telephone. 'I was very guarded, as was he,' says Bertinelli.

Valerie Bertinelli has been talking a lot about her new writer boyfriend, but still will not name him. On Wednesday the One Day At A Time veteran told People that he is 10 years younger than her

She is 63-years-old which means he is 53-years-old. And she feels good about it adding he is 'mature, kind, thoughtful, and patient.' Here is Valerie at age 53 in 2014

And she added that they see each other every three weeks as he lives on the East Coast while she is in the Los Angeles area. 'We never go longer than that without seeing each other,' says Bertinelli. 'After all, it's about finding the joy in life and sharing it' 

'His voice had the most beautiful timbre. I was like 'Oh, I can't talk to this man right now because that's really sexy.' We both had strong feelings, trying not to admit them.'

Slowly they began to let their guard down. 'We finally said, 'Why are we doing this? It's going to be challenging because it's long distance but why not?' she says. 'You only live once.'

They met in New York City in early March.

'I'm driving up to meet him, and he's already at the hotel standing outside,' she recalls of their first meeting.

'I just jump out of the car, and I run to him, and I hug him. It was the best hug. I immediately felt like I was home. This is where I belong, in this man's arms. It all feels incredibly right.'

'I'm glad it's happening. But it's like, what the heck is happening? It's a seesaw of emotions,' the star said,

Bertinelli, 63, and the East Coast writer — who's 10 years her junior — first became friendly a few years ago when he commented on one of her Instagram posts.

She has been doing the talk show rounds in NYC this week; seen outside ABC Studio on Tuesday morning

The bubby star talked to Joy Behar while on The View

Earlier this week she said falling in love was surprising to her. 

'I fell in love when I least expected it!' the brunette beauty revealed to People in their cover story.

'I'm in love,' Bertinelli added. 'It's a seesaw of emotions because I was adamant I was never falling in love again.

'I was supposed to die with my six cats and my dog and very happily live the rest of my years alone — I'm good alone,' she said.

'My belly is flip-flopping. This was not supposed to happen.'

She then shared: 'It's crazy the comfort level. It feels incredibly right.' 

Valerie added that she has been working on herself with therapy and long walks with her dog. 

And her new book Indulge pushed her to be more open. 'The cookbook was an offshoot of the emotional and mental healing I've been doing,' she said,

'First came the work. Why I thought I didn't deserve to be loved. Why I was using food to numb my feelings. All the drama and trauma I hadn't dealt with — with Ed and my last marriage.'

Ed is Eddie Van Halen, her first husband who died. And her last marriage was to Tom Vitale.

Bertinelli has lost weight since her divorce from Tom Vitale. And she told People that it was thanks to 'more consistent therapy, more journaling and meditation.' The Hot In Cleveland also shared with the site that she eats what she wants and if she craves pasta she will eat it. But the former Jenny Craig poster girl will make sure she is getting the nutrition she needs

She also said that after she lost weight she tried on her 'before clothes' from her Jenny Craig shoot from 2009 and they fit. Instead of being disappointed they fit her just right, she said she felt comfortable

She used to pose in bathing suits when a big star on the TV series One Day At A Time

She first broke the news in mid March that she was in love.

The star gave a glowing interview to USA Today about her new romance, though she refrained from offering any personal details about him such as his name. 

'I've met someone. And I'm incredibly grateful for him. It's unlike any relationship that I've ever experienced with a man,' she effervesced.

'I don't want to say too much, but I feel incredibly blessed and lucky to have met him, because I wasn't expecting it!' she added.

'He was not on my radar. I was going to die with my six cats and my dog and be incredibly happy doing it,' the One Day At A Time star confessed. 'So this came out of left field, and I'm grateful it did. He's very special.'

With regards to her decision to announce the relationship on Instagram this week, she marveled: 'What was I doing?…I just can't help it. When I'm flipping happy, it's all over me, and he's one of the main reasons.

'I really want women and men to take away that it's the work that you do (on yourself) that can lead you to meeting someone like I've been lucky enough to meet right now. This would not have happened three years ago, four years ago, last year - it wouldn't have. And I feel incredibly lucky to have met him and made a connection with him.'

Bertinelli filed for divorce from her second husband, financial planner Tom Vitale, in November of 2021.

She has two Indulge book signing events in Northern California in mid April

Their divorce was finalized a year later, with a settlement that saw Valerie forced to fork over an eyewatering $2.2 million to Tom. 

Bertinelli has lost weight since her divorce from Vitale.

And she told People that it was thanks to 'more consistent therapy, more journaling and meditation.'

The Hot In Cleveland also shared with the site that she eats what she wants and if she craves pasta she will eat it. But the former Jenny Craig poster girl will make sure she is getting the nutrition she needs.

In the past, she said on social media that she has been taking more power walks and doing Pilates to shed the pounds, adding she slimmed down when she stopped drinking alcohol as well, so she is working hard on keeping healthy. 

She also said that after she lost weight she tried on her 'before clothes' from her Jenny Craig shoot from 2009 and they fit.

Instead of being disappointed they fit her just right, she said she felt comfortable. And when looking back at how she was shamed for fitting in those clothes she now feels that shaming was wrong and out 'diet culture' is not healthy.