Hayden Panettiere's emotional final comments about daughter, Kaya

Jennifer Hassan, USA TODAYMon, August 17, 2026 at 10:52 AM UTC

12

Just weeks before her death, Hayden Panettiere gave an emotional interview about her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.

Speaking to parenting magazine Momé in July for a cover story titled "Hayden Panettiere Never Stopped Choosing Her Daughter," the "Heroes" actress opened up about the near-death birth, postpartum depression and her painful decision to give her ex-fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, custody of their daughter.

The pair welcomed Kaya in December 2014. The birth was traumatic and near-fatal, with Panettiere requiring seven blood transfusions and three hours of surgery. While in recovery, the actress said she "felt nothing" when gazing at her baby. "I had always heard that moms feel an instant rush of love, but I didn't — and I had no idea why," she said.

To combat the emptiness and shame, the "This Is Me: A Reckoning" author told the magazine that she turned to alcohol, which "ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency." What came next, she said, was the hardest decision of her life: giving Klitschko, who was living in Ukraine, custody of their daughter, who she called her "mini me."

Klitschko had requested full custody of then 2-year-old Kaya, citing worries about her being in Panettiere's care.

Hayden Panettiere navigated brother Jansen's 2023 death, family struggles

"It wasn't a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make," Panettiere said. "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 mom she needed me to be."

Panettiere entered rehab and said part of her treatment was learning to forgive herself.

"You have to let go of what you wish you could change, and be present, and make the most of what you have now," she shared.

"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 said. "One day she'll understand my story, and why I wasn't able to be with her all the time."

Panettiere's representative confirmed her death to USA TODAY on Sunday, Aug. 16. A cause of death has not yet been shared.

Advertisement

Tributes to Panettiere flooded social media in the wake of her passing, with actress Viola Davis describing her former costar as an "old, wise soul with such a deep heart."

Actress Hayden Panettiere dies at 36

In Panettiere's memoir, "This Is Me," released May 19, the star also spoke about her relationship with Kaya, writing that at one point, a doctor warned her she would "be dead within five years" if she didn't stop drinking. The actress also admitted that she had become addicted to Klonopin, a central nervous system depressant.

While in the throes of postpartum depression, Panettiere recalled thinking about alcohol from the moment she woke up. "I needed a drink to function," she wrote.

In her memoir, Panettiere wrote that she agreed to relinquish custody because the legal battle would "destroy me psychologically at a time when my heart and soul were weaker than they'd ever been."

Hayden Panettiere defends painful decision to give up custody of daughter

In her closing remarks to Momé last month, Panettiere did not claim to be fully healed.

"I'm a work in progress — we all are. I take each day as it comes. I'm doing the work, and I'm doing my best," she said.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Contributing: Anika Reed and Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hayden Panettiere's emotional final comments about daughter, Kaya

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”