Valerie Bertinelli praises outpouring of 'kindness' after post about being body-shamed

After one of her posts about being body-shamed went viral, Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli is thanking her fans for their kindness and support.

"There's so much kindness out there," she said in a video shared to her Instagram on Friday night. "I certainly do not feel so alone anymore."

Thursday evening, the celebrity chef had shared an emotional video about a troll's comments that had gotten under her skin.

“Someone … decided to point out that I needed to lose weight,” she said, adding sarcastically that she doesn't have "a scale or ... clothes that I'm trying to put on every day," to serve as a regular reminder.

“You're not being helpful,” she continued. “Because when you see somebody who has put some weight on, my first thought is, ‘That person is obviously going through some things.’”

Bertinelli has been open about her grief following the death of the father of her son and ex-husband, rocker Eddie Van Halen in October 2020 at the age of 65. The two were married for more than 25 years and share a 30-year-old son, Wolfgang.

She concluded her Thursday night video that if she could “lose the weight and keep it off, I would.”

"You think I'm not tired of it, lady?” she asked. “Not f---ing helpful.”

Her original post was flooded with the support of her fans, including her son.

"You’re perfect the way you are, Ma. I love you ❤️ (also for no particular reason, what was that f---er’s @ so I can harass them with memes?)" he wrote.

Fellow Food Network star Sunny Anderson also responded.

"I feel like cursing, but I won't...publicly," she said. "Just know your insides count, everyone... your INSIDES."

Musician Michelle Branch wrote she empathized with Bertinelli's situation.

"I’ve been on the receiving end of comments like these so many times. Hell, half my life! It f---ing hurts," she wrote. "Thank you for being vulnerable and authentic and always leading with such heart."

Actor Melissa Peterman added that she thinks Bertinelli is "beautiful."

"And I have come to the conclusion that people who make these kind of mean comments that lack compassion are the ones that probably need compassion the most because they are broken and unhappy. And that is a horrible way to exist," Peterman said. "I love you."

For years, Bertinelli has been open about her struggle with body image and her weight.

In January 2020, she wrote that she “used food to avoid sadness."

"...Eating something away, all it does is make me feel worse about myself. One of my personal mottos is ‘choose happy.’ But sometimes that choice is really challenging," she said at the time, writing that she planned to change.

"I don’t want to get through the hard times by eating it away anymore. I want to get through the hard times by leaning on people," she said.

In her post on Friday, she echoed those sentiments as she thanked her fans and supporters before signing off on the whole ordeal.

"But seriously ... let's get back to me posting some delicious recipes," she laughed. "Let's have a really f---ing great day today, you guys."