In an extremely candid chat, Hayden Panettiere finally sat down and cleared the air about all the rumors and things people have seen as she lived out major mental health and addiction struggles in the public eye.
The Heroes star made some startling revelations, claiming she was addicted to alcohol and opioids and had heavily suffered from postpartum depression.
Hayden Panettiere is feeling more positive now after overcoming addiction
Hayden, mom to daughter Kaya, 7, told People magazine, “I was on top of the world and I ruined it. I’d think I hit rock bottom, but then there’s that trap door that opens.”
The actress said, “I put a lot of work into myself and I had to be willing to be incredibly honest,” as it was revealed she underwent trauma and inpatient therapy this past year.
The Nashville star is clearly in a more positive place now, telling the publication that despite many “ups and downs,” she doesn’t regret even “the ugliest things” that have happened to her. “I feel like I have a second chance,” she said.
Hayden revealed she battled postpartum depression and sent her daughter to Ukraine
Hayden went through a rough time after her daughter Kaya was born, battling postpartum depression. When her addiction to alcohol and opioids became too much, she sent her daughter to live in Ukraine with her ex-husband, Wladimir Klitschko, in 2018.
Her reasoning is understandable, with the actress saying, “It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But I wanted to be a good mom to her — and sometimes that means letting them go.”
While Hayden said she didn’t drink while pregnant with her daughter, it wasn’t long before she started again, all while battling PPD. She said, “I never had the feeling that I wanted to harm my child, but I didn’t want to spend any time with her. There was just this gray color in my life.”
She was given ‘happy pills’ at just 15 before red carpet events
As for how her addiction started, she revealed a heart-breaking story about being given “happy pills” at just 15 to help make her “peppy” on the red carpet during interviews.
She said, “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.”
As for her relationship with ex-husband Wladimir, she said he didn’t want to be around her and concluded that even she didn’t want to be around herself as the addiction took hold.
She claimed at her lowest point that she was hospitalized for jaundice but said she “would have the shakes” upon waking up and “could only function with sipping alcohol.”