The 32-year-old ‘Heroes’ star revealed she had a hidden opioid addiction and suffered from alcoholism as well as postpartum depression. “I was on top of the world and I destroyed it,” she recently told People. “I would have thought I hit rock bottom, but then it’s this trap that opens.” Panettiere has a daughter, Kaya, 7, with her ex Wladimir Klitschko, a Ukrainian ex-pro boxer, and sought help for her health battles for the sake of her family after years of public drama. “I put a lot of work into myself and had to be willing to be incredibly honest,” she revealed. The “Nashville” alum has attended both trauma and inpatient treatment over the past year to help her heal. She’ll even make a comeback in her career with “Scream 6,” portraying her character from the teen horror franchise, Kirby Reed. Panettiere explained how her sobriety “wasn’t easy.” “There were a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “But I don’t regret even the worst things that have happened to me. I feel incredibly accomplished. And I feel like I have a second chance.” Panettiere spoke candidly about her struggles with drugs and alcohol in a new profile in People magazine.Nolwen Cifuentes The mother-of-one also recalled how when she was a teenage star, the camp would give her “happy pills” before she attended red carpet events. “They had to make me lively during the interviews,” Panettiere looked back. “I had no idea that this wasn’t the right thing or what door it would open for me when it came to my addiction.” She then noted that despite being addicted to drugs and alcohol, her Hollywood career took off. “My saving grace is that I couldn’t be messy while I was on set and working,” the “Ice Princess” actress said. “But things kept spiraling out of control [off set]. And as I got older, drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn’t live without.” Panettiere began dating Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2009 and they have a 7-year-old daughter named Kaya.Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan After playing her role as country singer Juliette Barnes in “Nashville” in 2012, her postpartum depression set in and her alcohol addiction worsened. Her pregnancy was also written into the musical drama series. “They were really difficult years,” recalls Panettiere. “I could relate to a lot of these stories like alcoholism and postpartum depression. They hit close to home.” She would later begin a relationship with Klitschko, now 46, in 2009 and said their courtship began to falter when she would sneak off to drink. “He didn’t want to be around me,” she said. “I didn’t want to be around me. But with opiates and alcohol I did everything to feel happy for a moment. Then I would feel worse than before. I was in a cycle of self-destruction.” “I was on top of the world and I destroyed it,” the “Nashville” alum said. “I would have thought I hit rock bottom, but then it’s this trap that opens.” NBCUniversal via Getty Images Her drinking increased and she was hospitalized with jaundice and her liver was about to “give up”. He later sent Kaya to live with Klitschko in Ukraine to get better. Panettiere has mostly stayed out of the public eye in recent years amid ongoing issues with boyfriend Brian Hickerson, whom she began dating in 2018. The pair got into a fight on camera in March after having drinks at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, California. The couple had a previous physical altercation in Los Angeles in May 2019 that led to Hickerson’s arrest for felony domestic violence. He was ordered to stay 100 meters from Panettiere at the time. However, the case was dismissed in October of that year, and Hickerson was rearrested and charged with domestic battery in 2020. The former child star also underwent eight months of rehab and praised their program for giving her the tools to “get over the hump” of her addictions. “It’s a daily choice and I check in with myself all the time,” Panettiere said. “But I’m very grateful to be a part of this world again and I’ll never take it for granted again.”
