HAYDEN Panettiere has spoken candidly about the painful choice to give up custody of her daughter, Kaya, to her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko back in 2018.
The actress revealed on the “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” podcast that the decision was made amid her struggles with addiction, anxiety, and postpartum depression.
Hayden pushed back against critics who suggested she abandoned her child, saying, “The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking.”
She explained she was privately spiralling while trying to keep up appearances, feeling like she had “completely lost” herself.
Insisting she was not forced into treatment, Hayden said she was “begging for help,” recalling, “‘I desperately need help. I know this is going to look terrible, but I cannot live like this anymore.'”
Though Kaya now lives overseas with Klitschko, Hayden says their bond remains strong with regular FaceTime calls where they “talk about really deep things.”
She also stressed that Kaya does not feel abandoned and knows she has two parents committed to her happiness and health.
The “Heroes” star has described signing over custody as the “most heartbreaking thing” she’s ever done and called that chapter a “living nightmare.”
Despite the distance and difficult circumstances, Hayden’s relationship with Kaya appears resilient, even if the custody decision still carries emotional scars.