Hayden Panettiere slammed claims that she “abandoned” her daughter, Kaya, while struggling with addiction and post-partum depression in 2018.
“The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be OK with it is heartbreaking,” the “Heroes” alum shared on Monday’s episode of the “On Purpose” podcast.
“It couldn’t be further from the truth,” she added. “It became this horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse and just me trying to find my way back.”
Panettiere, now 36, explained she “completely lost” herself, sharing that her ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, asked for Kaya to live with him full-time in Ukraine at the age of 2.
“I did not have a good reaction to it,” she admitted. “I went like mother lion. I would’ve burnt the world down for my child. So that was incredibly difficult.”
The “Bring It On” star shared how Kaya built a “beautiful life” with friends and by joining extracurricular activities during their time apart.
“So by the time I finally got healthy, I felt like it would have been unfair of me to and selfish of me to try and pull her out and away from this life that she had created,” Panettiere added, explaining her daughter has learned five languages and enjoys horseback riding.
“I know in my heart that she feels supported,” the “Nashville” alum said. “I have an incredible relationship with her. I go to travel as much as I can to see her. I do spend a lot of time on FaceTime with her.”
Panettiere gushed over their “intense” and “incredible” bond, stating, “In no way [does] she feel abandoned.”
Also in the episode, the “Remember the Titans” star cleared up the misconception that she had been “forced” into treatment, saying she was the one who initially sought help.
Panettiere and Klitschko started dating in 2009 and were in an on-again, off-again romance leading up to their 2013 engagement.
The following year, the “Scream 4” star announced she and the businessman were expecting their first child together.
She gave birth to her daughter in December 2014.
Panettiere welcomed Kaya with Klitschko in December 2014.
The exes, however, parted ways in August 2018, and the “I Love You, Beth Cooper” star moved on with her now ex-Brian Hickerson a few months later.
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