Valerie Bertinelli holding onto 'protection' weight until she’s 'healthier internally'

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Valerie Bertinelli is getting raw and emotional. 

Bertinelli, 62, was a guest on "Today with Hoda & Jenna" on Thursday and discussed her recent health journey and what she needs to take care of first before she can lose the weight she wants.

"I haven't stepped on the scale since I finished writing the book," she said about her memoir "Enough Already" before she became emotional. 

Valerie Bertinelli shared on "Today with Hoda & Jenna" that she will hold on to her "protection" weight until she can better her mental health. (Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)

"I'm looking at the monitor and trying not to judge myself too harshly right now because I know that I'm still holding on to this weight because it's protecting me because I'm going through a lot of challenges, a lot of heartbreak, a lot of crazy stuff going on in my life right now."

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Bertinelli then shared with the show’s hosts, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, that she is holding on to "protection" weight until she can make changes regarding her mental health. 

"I know this weight is protecting me right now, and when I get healthier internally and emotionally that weight will come off," Bertinelli said. 

"Because I know I'm treating my body better. I'm drinking less alcohol, I'm eating less sugar, I'm putting more vegetables in my body, but my body is doing this for a reason … because it needs protection."

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She added: "And I'm not the only one going through these challenging times, we've all been through so much. I'm not the only one. And I'm not here to say, 'oh, poor me.' I'm here to say that when we reach out to people we love, or strangers even, that we don't have to feel so alone in this world and go through it alone."

The Food Network host shared that when times get "dark" for her, she tries to focus on the positive and start each day thankful for the life she has. 

The star has been open in the past about her struggles with body image and mental health.

Valerie Bertinelli has been open about her struggles with body image and mental health in the past.  (Photo by: Zach Pagano/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

In April, Bertinelli wrote a first-person essay for New Beauty, which showcased her struggles with body image and staying positive. 

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"But I want to start feeling the same about myself — no matter what weight I am," Bertinelli said. 

"I don’t have to wait until I’ve lost weight to be kind to myself and to be kind to others. It shouldn’t matter what I look like."