Hayden Panettiere shot to fame as cheerleader Claire in Heroes. Despite this fame, the New York-born starlet had been in the industry since she was a small child. Her many years in the industry has only recently been revealed, in a tell-all interview.After Heroes ended in 2010, she played Juliette in Nashville and played a fan favorite in Scream 4. Despite being a mainstay on the big and small screen since appearing on One Life To Live between 1994 and 1997, she has been absent in recent years. She has sadly hit headlines for all the wrong reasons, in the last few years. From drunken fighting to arrests and controversial relationships, Panettiere appears to have struggled over the years.The 32-year-old actress has opened up about her struggles, including post-partum depression, alcohol abuse and a dark relationship. In a shocking and revealing interview with People, Panettiere has revealed her struggles which stem from her teens and affected motherhood for her.
8 Hayden Panettiere Was Offered 'Happy Pills' As A Teen
Panettiere a star by the age of 11 after starring in soap operas and having a role in Remember the Titans. She says she was just 15 when a member of her team offered her "happy pills."
"They were to make me peppy during interviews," Panettiere explains in a new interview with People, "I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what door that would open for me when it came to my addiction."
7 Hayden Panettiere Suffered Opioid Addiction During Height Of Fame
Panettiere was drinking alcohol and occasionally taking opioids as her star was rising.
"My saving grace is that I couldn't be messy while on set and working," says the actress, who landed the role of Claire Bennet on Heroes when she was 16. "But things kept getting out of control [off set]. And as I got older, the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn't live without."
6 Hayden Panettiere's Struggle With Post-Partum Depression
In 2009, Hayden Panettiere met then-world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko at the book launch party for Diana Jenkins' Room 23. They dated until 2011, later reconciling in 2013. In December 2014, Panettiere gave birth to their daughter, Kaya.
“The postpartum depression I have been experiencing has impacted every aspect of my life,” she tweeted in 2016. “Rather than stay stuck due to unhealthy coping mechanisms I have chosen to take time to reflect holistically on my health and life. Wish me luck!”
The pregnancy was written into Nashville, but her character Juliette's dark inner demons were a mirror to Hayden's reality. "I could relate to a lot of those storylines like the alcoholism and postpartum depression. They hit close to home."
"I never had the feeling that I wanted to harm my child, but I didn't want to spend any time with her," says Panettiere, who didn't drink during her pregnancy but fell off the wagon shortly after the birth of her daughter. She sought treatment for depression, but struggled with alcoholism. "There was just this gray color in my life."
5 Where Is Hayden Panettiere's Daughter?
Her relationship with Klitschko soon began to crumble, mainly due to the actress' secret drinking. "He didn't want to be around me," she explains. "I didn't want to be around me. But with the opiates and alcohol, I was doing anything to make me feel happy for a moment. Then I'd feel worse than I did before. I was in a cycle of self-destruction."
"I would have the shakes when I woke up and could only function with sipping alcohol," Panettiere reveals was her lower point.
In 2018, the Scream actress made the decision to send Kaya to live with Klitschko in Ukraine. "It was the hardest thing I ever had to do," she says. "But I wanted to be a good mom to her — and sometimes that means letting them go."
4 Why Hayden Panettiere Was Hospitalized
The drinking worsened after her daughter and ex-partner moved away. Hayden Panettiere was hospitalized after suffering from jaundice. "Doctors told me my liver was going to give out," she recalls. "I was no longer a 20-year-old who could just bounce right back."
This lead to Panettiere entering rehab for eight months. She credits her stay at the facility for giving her the tools to "get over the hump" of her addiction.
3 Hayden Panettiere's Dark Relationship With Brian Hickerson
Hayden Panettiere, 32, and Brian Hickerson, 33, began dating in 2018 while the actress was in the middle of a painful addiction to alcohol and opioids.
"It was a very dark and complicated time in my life," says Panettiere about her four-year on-and-off relationship. "But a lot of women go through what I went through, and I want people to know it's OK to ask for help."
"I wanted to party, I wanted to do everything I wasn't supposed to do," Panettiere reveals, speaking about the period after filming six seasons of Nashville. "Acting was my life, but I felt so bad about myself that I lost trust in myself. And that is very detrimental. The idea of not having a responsibility was very appealing at the time."
In May 2019, Hickerson was charged with domestic violence, and she was issued a protective order. The charges were dropped, and the pair got back together,
In July 2020, Hickerson was arrested on eight domestic violence charges. The following year he pled no contest to two felony counts of injuring a partner with the other charges dropped, and he spent 13 days in jail. In 2022, the pair were involved in a bar brawl.
2 Hayden Panettiere's Statement Following Hickerson's Arrest
Following Brian Hickerson's 2020 arrest, Panettiere issued a statement.
"I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me in the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve. I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again."
Panettiere reflected recently on the statement saying, "I still feel the same way. None of it is OK. But I want to make sure that everybody knows that each person who goes through something like that, they're on their own journey. No two things are exactly alike."
1 How Hayden Panettiere Is Doing Now
Following months of intense trauma therapy and inpatient treatment, Hayden Panettiere is sober, single and focused on her future. She is set to have an upcoming role in the next Scream instalment, returning as Kirby. She also works with Hoplon International, the charity she founded in March whose mission is to raise funds for Ukraine. Klitschko's brother, Vitali Klitschko, is the mayor of Kyiv.
"It's an everyday choice, and I'm checking in with myself all the time," says Panettiere. "But I'm just so grateful to be part of this world again, and I will never take it for granted again."
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