Hayden Panettiere talks candidly about her secret addiction that almost cost her her career and life.
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The 32-year-old actress tells for the first time about the challenges she has faced after four years away from Hollywood’s spotlight.
– This has not been easy, and there have been many ups and downs, Panettiere says in an interview with People.
Already at a young age, Panettiere had several roles in various soap operas and films. As a 15-year-old, the actress must have been offered “happiness pills” before she went out on the red carpet. These she was told would make her alert during interviews.
– I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what doors would be opened for me when it came to my addiction.
When Panettiere was 16, she got the role of cheerleader Claire Bennet in the NBC series “Heroes”. While her career was flourishing, she talks about drinking problems and that she occasionally took opioids.
– As I got older, drugs and alcohol became something I could hardly live without.
–Suffered from postpartum depression
When Panettiere became pregnant with her daughter in 2014, she suffered from postpartum depression. Then she was also relevant in the TV series “Nashville” and played the restless country star who struggled with postpartum depression.
– It was some tough years, she says to People and adds that she did not drink during pregnancy.
Although Panettiere sought treatment for her depression, she became increasingly dependent on alcohol to get through the day.
After the series ended in 2018 and several years of challenges related to alcohol, the actor made the difficult decision to send his daughter to live ex-husband Wladmir Klitschko in Ukraine.
– It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I wanted to be a good mother to her – and sometimes it means letting them go.
–– I’m so grateful
The drinking gradually got worse and ended with the actor going on rehabilitation for eight months. She tells People that her stay gave her the tools to get over the top of her addiction.
According to the 32-year-old, it is only recently that she has found the peace that she has longed for for so long.
– I’m just so grateful to be a part of this world again, and I will never take it for granted again.
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