‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville’ actress Hayden Panettiere is openly talking about her alcohol and opioid addiction. She revealed that her alcohol addiction had taken such a toll on her personal life that it had started mimicking the troubled life of her ‘Nashville’ character, Juliette Barnes.
Hayden confessed that the roots of her opioid addiction can be traced back to when she was given “happy pills” ahead of press events to make her peppy for interviews. Hayden was only 15 at that time. She told People Magazine, “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.” Things got so bad eventually that she didn’t even want to see her daughter at one point of time.
Hayden Panettiere Says Opioid Addiction Ruined her Flourishing Life
As Hayden’s acting and popularity touched new heights with her phenomenal performance in ‘Heroes’, her alcohol consumption also increased. Desperate to stay in control and not mess up on the stage, Hayden kept turning to drugs and alcohol to the point that she couldn’t live without the two. While life on stage seemed collected and organized, Hayden was a crumbling mess off the set.
In 2014, Hayden had a daughter with her now ex-boyfriend, Ukrainian former professional boxer, Wladimir Klitschko. After welcoming Kaya, Hayden struggled with postpartum depression. Hayden shared, “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.”
How Hayden’s Addiction Affected Her Personal Life
While Panettiere reached out for help with her postpartum depression, on the other end, her relationship with Klitschko came crashing down. The drinking and drugs still swirled around her, and Klitschko was reluctant to be around her. In 2018, battling with her addictions, Panettiere decided to send Kaya to live with Klitschko in Ukraine.
Hayden was stuck in a cycle of self-loathing and dependence on drugs and alcohol. The doctors had informed her that her liver was going to give out. However, recently, Panettiere is seeing glimmers of hope and betterment. She entered both trauma therapy and inpatient treatment and has been staying sober. We’ll see her on the big screen soon, as she’s currently filming ‘Scream 6′.
Read More: Hayden Panettiere And Boyfriend Brian Hickerson Get Involved In A Brawl Outside A Bar
