Born into a family of traditional potters of Famagusta, Cyprus (1929), Valentinos studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London.  After he obtained the Central School's diploma (with Distinction) he worked there as a technical assistant, and then spent a year working in the LEACH Pottery (1950-51). 

In 1952 he returned to Cyprus to work with his father, and in 1957 was asked by the Ministry of Education of Iraq to undertake the establishment of the Department of Ceramics of the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad. In 1960 he was assigned to establish a similar department at the 'Tahrir' Girls College, Baghdad, and in 1967 he joined the newly established Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Baghdad where he became the head of the Department of Ceramics, a position he held until his retirement in 1983, when he returned to Cyprus. He remains in close contact with Baghdad and in 1987 the Iraqi Government honored him for his contribution to the development of Iraqi art both as a teacher and an artist. Valentinos still works with the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture assigned to the development of the Cyprus-Arab cultural relations.

Whybrow quotes Charalambous (2006) as saying 'My work isn't directly influenced by Bernard LEACH but life is much richer for having known him. Even now, I find myself asking "what would BL have thought of this?" '