DARK DAYS

Hayden Panettiere Says ‘Cycle of Self-Destruction’ Led Her to Rehab

The actress spoke about her struggles with substance abuse in an interview with People magazine.

Hayden Panettiere says she was trapped in a “cycle of self-destruction” for years before finally getting help and learning to “be part of this world again.” In an interview with People about her struggles with substance abuse and postpartum depression, she said her addiction issues stemmed back to when she was a teen offered “happy pills” ahead of Red Carpet appearances, a habit that led to things “getting out of control” as she got older. “I would have the shakes when I woke up and could only function with sipping alcohol,” she said of her lowest point. Her partner Wladimir Klitschko, the father of her 7-year-old daughter Kaya, “didn’t want to be around me,” she said. “I didn’t want to be around me. But with the opiates and alcohol I was doing anything to make me feel happy for a moment.” She eventually sent her daughter to live with Klitschko so she could tackle her addiction, saying, “I wanted to be a good mom to her—and sometimes that means letting them go.” After undergoing trauma therapy and inpatient treatment, she said she’s “so grateful to be part of this world again, and I will never take it for granted again.”