Valerie Bertinelli ‘Fell Hard’ for Ex Mike Goodnough Before Split: She ‘Will Always Cherish’ Him

Valerie Bertinelli and Mike Goodnough gave their romance “their best shot,” an insider exclusively tells Closer of their relationship dynamic before their shocking split.

“She really fell hard for him, him for her too, but the romance didn’t pan out,” the source adds. “Some say it was the long-distance romance that did them in, others say it just wasn’t meant to be, but the bright side is that Valerie discovered that she could love again.”

Valerie, 64, first went public with her romance with the East Coast-based writer in April. They dated long-distance, as Valerie currently lives on the West Coast, and established a “three-week rule,” pledging never to go longer than three weeks without seeing each other.

Things seemed to have fizzled out between them when People reported they had split after 10 months together. “They are no longer in a relationship,” an insider told the outlet on November 5.

“Valerie and I are the only two people with insight into our relationship,” Mike, 54, told People at the time. “Neither of us pays much attention to chatter among people outside of it.”

Despite breaking things off, Valerie shouted Mike out on Instagram in a reflective post on November 22, while looking back at the past two years of her life since her divorce from Tom Vitale.

“Two years of eventually dipping my toe in and feeling love again. (Thank you, Mike)” the One Day at a Time alum wrote in her caption. She also thanked him “for being such a big part of my growth this year.”

“I’m grateful for our experience and I’m so grateful I met you,” Valerie wrote in her caption while tagging Mike’s Instagram handle.

Though she gave Mike a shout-out on her social media profile, the source doesn’t think “there’s a chance of them rekindling their romance.”

“They decided to break it off and not communicate, but she’s grateful that Mike opened her heart, which is why she gave him a shout-out on Instagram,” the insider says. “They don’t really plan on being friends, even though they have no hard feelings toward each other.”

“They both want a clean break,” the insider shares. “It makes it easier.”

Fans voiced their support for Valerie in the comments section on her Instagram post after she opened up about marking “two years of freedom.”

“You are amazing. Such an inspiration. I have gone through similar things and it feels so good to come through to the other side,” one person wrote in a comment underneath the Hot in Cleveland alum’s recent post. “Sending love and positivity your way! Keep going and growing!!!”

“And who would have thought that this beautiful girl so so many of us watched and adored when we were teenagers at the same time as her would someday become this woman that would share her journey and challenges with us in this forum,” another said. “How cool is that. Thank you, Valerie, for being so real for all of us.”

Overall, Valerie is looking back on her relationship with Mike with optimism and gratitude.

“Valerie will always cherish Mike for being there when she needed him most,” the insider shares.