Hayden Panettiere reveals she nearly died during traumatic birth before battling postpartum depression

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Hayden Panettiere has spoken openly about the difficult time she had after giving birth to her daughter, Kaya, with her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, revealing she experienced both a traumatic birth and postpartum depression.

The 36-year-old actress shared a frightening story about her childbirth experience while promoting her new memoir, ‘This Is Me: A Reckoning,’ on Monday, revealing she almost died.

Though the Nashville star had a ‘wonderful pregnancy’, things took a dark turn during her delivery.

She told CBS News’ Gayle King that her childbirth was extremely difficult and nearly cost her life.

Hayden Panettiere explained that she began experiencing postpartum depression after giving birth. She shared that she signed over custody of her daughter, Kaya, now 11, to Wladimir Klitschko in 2018.

She described holding her beautiful, healthy baby girl and feeling incredibly lucky, yet she couldn’t shake a deep sadness. ‘I was just so depressed,’ she explained.

The actress from Heroes admitted the experience made her realize motherhood wasn’t what she’d imagined it would be, leaving her disappointed.

I had a strong vision for how I wanted to parent, but I was also afraid of repeating negative patterns from my own childhood. I worried I might unintentionally hurt my child the way my mother hurt me.

Panettiere stays connected with her daughter, Kaya, who lives with her father in Ukraine, through video calls and visits whenever she can.

I feel very lucky to have a close bond with her. I visit her whenever I get the chance, and we talk on FaceTime constantly.

During the interview, the actress also told a sweet story about how her daughter’s friends love her 2006 movie, Bring It On: All or Nothing, in which she played the cheerleading captain, Britney Allen.

My daughter is eleven now, and she’s been calling me ‘Mommy’ a lot more lately. The other day, she even FaceTimed me and started calling me ‘Britney’! It took me a moment to figure out why, but then I realized she was referencing the movie Bring It On – her friends are all fans of it.

‘She’s now asking me to Zoom with her friends. So, I’m cool now,’ the proud mom added.

Panettiere also spoke about her complicated relationship with her own mother, Lesley Vogel.

It all started when my mom brought me to an audition at just eight months old. From there, things took off, and I ended up doing around fifty commercials by the time I was five. I even had a role on a soap opera by the age of four, and I’ve been working steadily ever since.

She explained that while filming, she only cared about what her mom thought. Knowing her mom’s approval was crucial, because any criticism would completely ruin her day. She said, ‘If my mom was unhappy with my performance, the rest of the day would be terrible.’

Earlier this month, actress Hayden Panettiere publicly shared the difficult and painful decision to relinquish custody of her daughter, explaining it came during a period when she was battling addiction and postpartum depression.

The celebrity shared that she was really struggling and needed support back then, and she wants to assure everyone that Kaya doesn’t feel neglected. She discussed this on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast.

Panettiere expressed her sadness at the thought anyone would believe she’d willingly give up her child, stating that the idea is completely false.

She explained she was dealing with mental health challenges, anxiety, and the difficulties of postpartum recovery, and felt she had to pretend everything was okay while feeling completely lost.

Hayden Panettiere, recalling a difficult time when she was 18 and even mentioning an uncomfortable encounter with a well-known person, shared that she was struggling personally and proactively decided to get help.

There’s a misunderstanding that I was forced to get help in the past, but actually, I’ve always been the one asking for it, telling people I really needed support. I understand this might not look good, but I can’t continue living this way.

Panettiere shared that she and Kaya have a close relationship and see each other often.

I’m very close to her and prioritize our connection, even with a busy travel schedule. We make time to see each other in person and stay connected through video calls, but more importantly, we have meaningful conversations and a really strong, special bond that I truly cherish.

I truly believe she understands how incredibly loved she is. She knows, deep down, that her mom and dad would move mountains to ensure her well-being – not just her physical health, but her emotional, mental, and even spiritual happiness. Most importantly, she feels completely secure in their love and knows she’s never, ever alone.

She spoke highly of her former partner, Klitschko, saying he was ‘incredibly supportive’ despite not fully understanding the situation.

The actress explained that when her daughter was around four months old, she reached out to Klitschko, saying she desperately needed help and couldn’t continue living the way she was – she felt something was seriously wrong. He responded by offering to get her the support she needed.

Panettiere received treatment for alcoholism at a facility, but not for postpartum depression, leading her to believe her condition was beyond help.

The actress explained that after she recovered, she believed Kaya had established a great life in Europe, and it wouldn’t be fair to disrupt that by asking her to move.

The star’s memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, is set to be released on May 19.

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2026-05-19 02:50