Follow us on Google Discover Hayden Panettiere had a deeply personal reason for giving Wladimir Klitschko full custody of their daughter, Kaya, after the former couple split in 2018.
The Heroes and Nashville actress, who passed away on Sunday, spoke openly about her decision, explaining that she was going through a difficult period and needed to focus on getting help.
Panettiere and Klitschko had welcomed Kaya in December 2014 after becoming engaged the previous year. Their relationship had already experienced an earlier split before they reconciled in 2013.
Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty ImagesHayden Panettiere wanted to put her daughter first
Panettiere was clear that giving up custody was not something she wanted to do.
Speaking about the decision, she said: ‘It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make. I was going through a really challenging time in my life… I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mum she needed me to be.’
Her struggles included postpartum depression after Kaya’s birth, while she also later spoke about becoming dependent on alcohol.
‘I turned to wine, which ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency. It was how I would get through each day,’ Panettiere said.
Despite no longer having custody, Panettiere continued to speak warmly about her daughter. Six years after the decision, she said: ‘I love my daughter, and I’m so proud of the young woman she is becoming. I talk to her all the time, and I feel so connected to her. She’s like a mini-me.’
The separation was still incredibly painful for her.
Photo by Michael Gottschalk/Photothek via Getty Images
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In her 2026 memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere described not living under the same roof as Kaya as ‘the most gut-wrenching experience of my life’, while also writing about the sadness, resentment and anger she felt.
Klitschko, meanwhile, became Kaya’s primary caregiver, with the pair eventually moving to Ukraine. Panettiere continued seeing her daughter and remained connected to her despite the distance.
Panettiere’s decision was therefore far more complicated than simply walking away from motherhood. Her own words showed that she believed getting help was necessary if she was going to be the mother Kaya needed.
Moreover, Panettiere’s official cause of death has not yet been finalised. According to the emergency dispatch audio and preliminary reports, she was found unresponsive and suffered an apparent drug overdose leading to cardiac arrest. However, it has not been made official yet.
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