Why Hayden Panettiere gave up custody of daughter Kaya: Actress had opened up about addiction and postpartum depression

Renowned actress Hayden Panettiere, who starred in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise, has passed away at the age of 36. The news of her death was confirmed by her representative on Sunday, ABC News reported. The cause of her death has not been disclosed yet.

Just months before her demise, Panettiere publicly revisited some of the most painful chapters of her life in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. The book released in May 2026, and explores her experiences with childhood fame, trauma, postpartum depression, addiction, domestic abuse, grief and recovery.

Panettiere on her motherhood difficulties

Her experiences following the birth of her daughter Kaya became one of the most difficult periods of her life.

She welcomed Kaya with her former fiancé and Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. In her memoir, she revealed that the delivery was extremely traumatic as she underwent a lengthy C-section after complications involving blood loss and an infection, and required seven blood transfusions.

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After her birth, Panettiere said she struggled to experience the immediate connection with her newborn. "I had always heard that mothers feel an instant rush of love the moment they lay their eyes on their baby, but I felt nothing. Kaya was just there, and now I had to figure out how to bond with her. It felt like an insurmountable task, and I was only on the first day," she reportedly said.

She later explained, "I wish somebody told me that that was a possibility, told me it's OK if you birth your child and you're not immediately like, 'Oh my god, I love you more than anything in the entire world!'"

The actress eventually received professional treatment and was diagnosed with postpartum depression.

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When alcohol became a way of coping

In her memoir, she also spoke about her alcohol addiction. "I just thought there was something seriously wrong with me, so I thought, 'Fireball will fix this -- duh!' And it didn't. It does for a moment, but then it makes everything worse."

She had reportedly described that after waking up, she used to immediately think about alcohol, and her dependence also became intertwined with prescription medication.

Her struggles continued while she was working on Nashville, where her character Juliette Barnes was simultaneously dealing with addiction and postpartum depression.

"Juliette Barnes had postpartum depression, and alcohol and pill problem, and a divorce on the horizon. She was erratic, an absentee mother, and fought with everyone, including her fans. Every time I read the day’s script, it was like I was looking in a funhouse mirror, seeing a distorted reflection of myself. I can’t tell you how lost this made me feel," she reportedly wrote.

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Panettiere also revealed that when she was a young performer members of her team gave her what she described as “happy pills” before professional appearances. She believed they were amphetamines.

"At 16, they were the gateway drug that ushered me toward the good of pharmaceuticals and the downfall of addiction."

Why she didn’t have custody of Kaya

Panettiere's addiction and mental health struggles eventually affected her ability to care for Kaya.

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In 2018, she agreed to give full custody of her daughter to Klitschko. Panettiere later stressed that the decision was a painful choice made while she was attempting to recover.

She recalled Klitschko telling her, “I want full custody. I worry about Kaya when she’s with you.”

"I remember every second of that day. Every f—king second. No mother could forget a single thing about the day she signed her child away," she had revealed.

Despite living apart, Panettiere continued to describe her relationship with Kaya as loving and close, saying she stayed connected through visits and FaceTime.

In 2020, she entered a rehabilitation programme and has often spoken about her recovery.