A look back at Hayden Panettiere’s dating history over the years before her tragic passing
One of her exes used to be on Laguna Beach
Hayden Panettiere has sadly died at just 36 years old, so we’re taking a look back at all of Hayden’s past romantic connections.
She revealed in her 2026 memoir This is Me: A Reckoning that she was bisexual and had privately dated women over the years. Hayden said that she was afraid to speak about it publicly, so no details of those relationships were ever made public.
Stephen Colletti (2006-2007)
Hayden and Stephen were in a relationship for almost two years, and the two split at the end of 2007. Hayden shared that there wasn’t anything scandalous behind their parting, adding: “We just ended up going our separate ways, there wasn’t really a story there. Like, no drama. It was so peaceful and kind.”
She told Us Weekly in April about how important her relationship with Stephen was in helping her deal with the paparazzi, sharing: “I’m so grateful that he was part of my life, especially when he was. Because when I was with him was when I started having to deal with paparazzi and tabloids and being the focal point of them.”
Because Stephen had been on Laguna Beach from 2004 to 2005, the attention from the press was “something he had dealt with before.” She continued: “He was able to help guide me through that experience and getting used to that”, adding that he was “very protective of me.”
Milo Ventimiglia (2007–2009)
Hayden and Milo met while filming their show Heroes together, which aired from 2006 to 2019. Despite their 12 year age gap, they started dating in 2007 and called it quits after two years of dating in 2009.
In a recent interview with Us Weekly in May, she revealed that “It was a point of contention that I was unable to put the ‘I’ in front of ‘love you’ and at the time, I didn’t realise or understand why it made me feel so uncomfortable. I could only say ‘love you’ in a casual way. Being older, he was much more aware of what that meant. And that said a lot.’
Wladimir Klitschko (2009–2018, on and off)
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Hayden and Wlad dated on and off before getting engaged in 2013 and then having a daughter together, named Kaya, in 2014. They never tied the knot, called off their engagement, and split in 2018.
Wlad decided to postpone the wedding but then offered to get married, which Hayden rejected. She told Us Weekly that “The only way I could think to have some sort of self -preservation and keep my confidence and not completely collapse … the best way I could think of to hurt him back, was to just blow it off.”
Since ending things, they maintained a close friendship while co-parenting Kaya. A former world champion boxer, Wlad lives in Ukraine while Hayden was based in Los Angeles. In 2018, Hayden relinquished full custody of her daughter after her second trip to rehab.
She wrote in her memoir that she doesn’t blame Wlad for any of her wrongs and that she takes “full responsibility” for her shortcomings as a mom. ”
As for where they stood before her tragic passing, she said: “So to see that we still have this bond and the ability to coparent and show our daughter [that] even though we’re not together, doesn’t mean that there’s a lack of love here, and it doesn’t mean that you’re unsafe.”
Scotty McKnight (2011–2012)
Hayden dated Scotty McKnight, a New York Jets wide receiver, for a brief period during her temporary split from Wlad. They met through mutual friends and parted ways in 2012.
Brian Hickerson (2018–2022, on and off)
Hayden started dating Brian Hickerson following her split from Wlad. However, it was a tumultuous relationship and in 2020, Brian was charged with four domestic assault felonies, one misdemeanor account of battery, two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one felony count of dissuading a witness, Hayden, from prosecuting a crime. He was ultimately sentenced to 45 days in jail after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend.
They broke up following his arrest.
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