‘I have a lot more life to live’: Hayden Panettiere’s heartbreaking interview before her death

Hayden Panettiere heartbreakingly said she felt she had “a lot more life to live” just months before her death aged 36.

Via Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

The actress, best known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise, died on Sunday. Her death was confirmed by her representative on Monday, with her family describing her as an “incredible light” who brought “immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her”.

Police have since confirmed that “an acquaintance” called 911 before emergency services attended. Officers said the circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation, but that there were currently no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.

The news is particularly heartbreaking given how hopeful Hayden had sounded in one of her final interviews.

Just three months before her death, Hayden released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she spoke candidly about addiction, postpartum depression and some of the most difficult periods of her life.

While promoting the book on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, Hayden became emotional as she reflected on what happened after the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014.

“I had my daughter and I knew something was terribly, terribly wrong,” she said.

“I never felt any hostility or negativity towards my child, thankfully. But I wasn’t connecting with her the way I should be.

“I was full of stress and anxiety the whole time, and what I was doing to suppress those emotions was not normal and it was not healthy.

“I was miserable, I was in tears all the time, even though the alcohol helped my nervous system calm down, it is a depressant, so over time it made things worse.”

Hayden had previously spoken about struggling with addiction during her twenties, as well as the postpartum depression she experienced following Kaya’s birth.

Most Read

I was Peter Pan at Disney World, and my stalker’s ‘disturbing’ questions were only half of it

The male reality TV stars whose nudes were leaked, and the Love Islander who now does gay p*rn

A deep dive into what the hell is going on with the 27-year-old and Peter Pan at Disneyland

She also discussed the incredibly painful decision to give up custody of Kaya in 2018, with her daughter living with her father, former professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

“That was incredibly difficult. The fact that my child wasn’t going to be with me all day every day was just … you can’t put words to it.”

The actress had also been dealing with the devastating loss of her younger brother Jansen Panettiere, who died aged 28 in 2023 after suffering from an undiagnosed heart condition.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Hayden Panettiere (@haydenpanettiere)

But despite everything she had been through, Hayden spoke about feeling like she had finally reached a new chapter in her life.

“I finally feel like I have shaken off all of this darkness and this negativity.

“And that means I’ve closed one door and another door is opened and I can feel it opened and I can feel all the possibilities, all the exciting possibilities.

“I feel like I have a lot more life to live.”

Those comments now feel particularly poignant following her sudden death at just 36. Her family has asked for privacy as they grieve her loss.

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.

Featured image via YouTube, Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock