Hayden Panettiere’s ex Brian Hickerson wanted to ‘marry her’ despite ‘terrible’ past together

Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson gave a pretty bizarre interview about their relationship just months before the actress died.

Hickerson spoke to TMZ in May, shortly after Panettiere released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning. In the book, she was very open about the abuse she said she experienced during their relationship, which began in 2018.

Hayden Panettiere died on Sunday, August 16, aged 36. Police later confirmed that Hickerson and his brother Zach were at the South Carolina residence when she died. Her official cause and manner of death have not yet been determined, and the investigation remains ongoing.

So, after her death, the interview has resurfaced. He openly discussed the abuse, his feelings for Panettiere and whether they could ever get back together.

Brian admitted he abused Hayden

One of the most striking parts of the interview came when Hickerson was asked about Panettiere describing their relationship as abusive and traumatic. Rather than denying it, he acknowledged that he had been arrested for abusing her.

“Man, I mean, I think it speaks for itself. I mean, you know, I got arrested for abusing her, and I wouldn’t blame her friends for being pissed off and mad. So, you know, I don’t really have much to say on that,” he said.

He also said they had discussed what happened and that he had “a couple of opportunities to apologise for it and reflect on it”.

“You never lay hands on a woman. Bottom line,” he added.

Hickerson was arrested in 2020 following an alleged domestic violence incident involving Panettiere. In April 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend and was sentenced to 45 days in jail, four years of probation and ordered to attend 52 domestic violence classes.

Panettiere also compared the cycle of their relationship to a weed in her memoir, writing, “Every time you pull it out, another weed pops back up and you’re like, I thought I killed this.”

Asked about the comparison, Hickerson joked, “Well, coming from a former landscaper, which I was, all you got to do is spray some Roundup. Right there on it. She wasn’t talking about me. She was talking about her terrible mother.”

He said he still loved Hayden and wanted her to flourish

Hickerson said he had spoken to Panettiere about the memoir before it was released. “The conversation was about the book. She was, of course, worried about it. She’s anxious about her first book and who wouldn’t be nervous about it,” he said.

He recalled telling her, “Look, dude. You got one of the craziest stories I’ve ever heard in my life and when people read it, it’s going to be a hit.”

Despite the details about their relationship, Hickerson thought the memoir was “incredible” and that “everyone should read it”. He said the domestic violence chapter was “my chapter” and that “everybody should read it.”

When asked what it was like reading about himself, he replied, “Well, who wants to read something about themselves like that, right? But, you got to be vulnerable and, I did it. I did it.”

Hickerson said he and Panettiere were “just good buddies” at the time. But when asked if he would ever marry her, he said, “Yeah, of course,” before adding, “I hope so.”

“I think that Hayden is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met in my life and I would be an idiot not to walk away from her and let her flourish in her career. So, we probably wouldn’t be good together,” he said. “I’d like to see what she’s going to do with the next like 30 years of her career.”

He also described her as “the Sunday girl”, saying, “Hayden Panettiere is the easiest thing in the world. It’s not about who you spend Saturday night with, it’s who you spend all day Sunday with.”

When asked if he missed her and if would get back together with her, he replied, “I miss Hayden? Every day. Yeah, of course. I would [get back together].”

He also spoke about her ex-fiancé and mum

Hickerson was also asked about Panettiere’s ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, the father of her daughter Kaya. He said he had spoken to Klitschko once on FaceTime and described him as “a good dude”, although he joked, “He’s very big man.”

When Panettiere and Klitschko spoke on FaceTime with Kaya, Hickerson said he would leave the room. “That’s their time,” he said.

He was also asked about Panettiere’s estranged mum, Lesley Vogel, who had disputed some of the actress’s claims about their relationship. Hickerson was highly critical of her, saying, “Hayden’s mother is by far one of the worst people I’ve ever met in my life. And, you know, I just, I can’t. I just can’t with her. She’s terrible.”

There was also one thing Hickerson said he had wanted left out of Panettiere’s memoir. He recalled being drunk, holding a phone and telling her, “I’ll give you 10 seconds to run as fast as you can before I throw it at you.”

Hickerson also said he believed domestic violence should be taught earlier in life, adding, “Never in my life did I ever get taught what domestic violence was, right? Maybe if I did at an early age, maybe I wouldn’t have done what I did.”

Panettiere’s official cause and manner of death have not yet been determined. Greenville police have said there were no signs of foul play, while the Drug Enforcement Administration has now joined the investigation.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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