'70s Sitcom Star Valerie Bertinelli, 65, 'Terrified' to Return to Acting After Announcing New Role

Valerie Bertinelli revealed she is making a return to acting—and she’s nervous about it. The television veteran, who has hosted Food Network shows such as Valerie’s Home Cooking in recent years, shared the news of a new TV project in a series of Instagram posts, and she didn’t hold back on her fears.

“I’m so grateful if not a bit anxious,” Bertinelli, 65, wrote on Instagram. “It’s an amazing script written by an amazing writer, and the cast is beyond my wildest dreams.”

“I knew I was feeling a little fear. It’s been a while. I haven’t acted in a single camera for at least 4 years?” the actress added. “But, I didn’t realize how really terrified I was until I looked at these selfies that I took to send to production. I thought I was doing a pretty decent job of walking and talking through the fear and anxiety, but my eyes never ever lie. ???? You can see the fear and doubt in them.”

Bertinelli promised fans that she will be “fine.” “I’ve been doing this for over 50 years, (it’s like riding a bike, right?) but I just love this script so much and I wanna do it justice,” she explained. “There’s always that thought that I’m gonna be the one that f----s up the whole project, right? So, feel the fear and do it anyway,” she added.

While she did not share any further details on the name of the project or the part she would be playing, in a second Instagram post on June 16, the former Kid's Baking Championship host host revealed that she was on location in Vancouver. “4:18a call-time tomorrow morning?” she wrote, adding that she was “so grateful to be working.”

Bertinelli is best known for playing Barbara Cooper in the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time from 1976 to 1984. While she enjoyed a steady acting career throughout the next few decades, she hasn’t acted much since wrapping the TV series Hot in Cleveland in 2015. Bertinelli starred in the TV Land sitcom for six seasons, per IMDb.

After more than five decades in the business, Bertinelli won her first Emmy Award in 2019. But it wasn’t for an acting role. The star won two Daytime Emmys for her Food Network show Valerie’s Home Cooking. 

At the time, she told fans on Instagram that she never dreamed she’d win the coveted industry award. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this happening,” Bertinelli captioned a photo of herself holding two Emmys. “I am so beyond grateful. I got my first job in television in 1972, I was 12. It was an Easter commercial for [JCPenney] and I had to eat a chocolate bunny. ???? I should have known then that food and television would be linked for me.“

Related: Valerie Bertinelli Explains ‘70s Underwear Photoshoot