Hayden Panettiere ‘guilt ridden’ that she was ‘incapable’ of parenting daughter Kaya

Hayden Panettiere reflected connected nan affectional toll of relinquishing custody of her daughter, Kaya, amid her struggles pinch addiction and postpartum depression.

The “Nashville” alum, 36, admitted she felt “guilt ridden” complete being “completely incapable” of parenting her now-11-year-old girl astatine nan time.

“The worst point that personification said to maine is that it was a individual prime that I was making,” Panettiere said during a sheet chat for her caller memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” in West Hollywood, Calif., connected Tuesday.

“Who would take to consciousness for illustration this? Like, really could you moreover opportunity that to me? This beautiful kid is patient and everything to celebrate,” she continued. “And I’m wholly incapable of doing it. I felt truthful guilt ridden that I was incapable of doing it.”

Panettiere — who shares Kaya pinch ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko — has antecedently spoken candidly astir battling postpartum depression aft giving commencement successful 2014, arsenic good arsenic her struggles pinch addiction successful nan years that followed.

At 1 constituent during nan panel, nan character recalled being devastated aft seeing her look connected a mag screen while stepping done an airdrome years ago.

She elaborate nan infinitesimal she was stepping to her gross erstwhile she saw a header that read, “Why Hayden Panettiere Gave Up Her Daughter.”

“You mightiness arsenic good person taken a weapon and stabbed maine successful nan heart. If anyone knew me, they [would] cognize that I would do perfectly thing for my daughter,” Panettiere said. “And sometimes that intends not what you want arsenic a mom aliases what’s going to make you consciousness bully arsenic a parent, but what’s champion for them.”

The Golden Globe nominee besides opened up astir nan achy infinitesimal she signed custody paperwork, explaining that her begetter was coming astatine nan time.

“I person to beryllium a small careful. I want to make judge I proceed to person a beautiful narration pinch my daughter,” she said. “But I’ll conscionable opportunity that sometimes it’s not an option.”

Panettiere said she was sitting successful a edifice erstwhile respective witnesses unexpectedly arrived to watch nan paperwork signing.

“I was sitting location pinch these people, gritting my teeth arsenic difficult arsenic I tin to not commencement sobbing,” she recalled. “And past I conscionable heard them laughing and chuckling, and I was like, ‘I can’t judge you tin watch personification who’s evidently doing 1 of nan astir achy things successful nan world.’”

The “Heroes” alum said she instantly locked herself successful nan edifice bath afterward to process “the reality of nan situation.”

Panettiere and Klitschko started making love successful 2009 and were successful an on-again, off-again romance leading up to their 2013 engagement.

The pursuing year, nan “Scream 4” prima announced she and nan businessman were expecting their first kid together.

The character relinquished afloat custody of Kaya to Klitschko successful 2018 following their split. 

As of May 2026, she maintains a good, co-parenting narration pinch Klitschko and often visits her girl successful Ukraine.