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Hayden Panettiere opened up about her struggles with postpartum depression years before her sudden death at age 36
Panettiere sought treatment for her postpartum depression in October 2015, nearly one year after giving birth to her and then-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko‘s daughter, Kaya. The actress revealed in a 2016 social media statement that she took time off work to “reflect holistically” amid her ongoing challenges
At the time, Panettiere was playing Juliette Barnes on the hit series Nashville. She later reflected on how the show’s writers used her own mental health battle as inspiration for the fictional character she played
Panettiere and Klitschko ultimately split in 2018, and she later relinquished full custody of their daughter while struggling with postpartum depression and addiction to alcohol and opioids. As a result, Kaya relocated to Ukraine to live with Klitschko
Shortly before her death, Panettiere exclusively told Us she had an “incredible” relationship with both Klitschko and Kaya
“I can’t even put into words. She’s just an incredible gift,” Panettiere gushed of her daughter in her May 2026 cover story. “She is just such an incredible human being. She’s otherworldly and so sweet and so kind and so fierce and such a lover and surrounded by good people and good friends, and it’s incredible for me to be able to watch her thrive in areas that I struggled with growing up.”
Three months later, news broke of Panettiere’s sudden death
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” read a statement from her father, Skip Panettiere in August 2026. “We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Keep scrolling to see what Panettiere shared about navigating postpartum depression before her death:
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org
Opening Up About the Challenges
During a 2015 TV appearance, Panettiere addressed her postpartum depression diagnosis
“I can very much relate. It’s something a lot of women experience. When [you’re told] about postpartum depression, you think it’s ‘I feel negative feelings toward my child, I want to injure or hurt my child.’ I’ve never, ever had those feelings,” Panettiere shared at the time. “Some women do. But you don’t realize how broad of a spectrum you can really experience that on. It’s something that needs to be talked about. Women need to know that they’re not alone, and that it does heal.”
Panettiere clarified the “misunderstanding” surrounding the mood disorder, adding, “There’s a lot of people out there that think that it’s not real, that it’s not true. That it’s something that’s made up in their minds, that, ‘Oh, it’s hormones.’ They brush it off. It’s something that’s completely uncontrollable. It’s really painful and it’s really scary and women need a lot of support.”
Seeking Help
Months after seeking help in October 2015, Panettiere took to social media with another update, writing has impacted every aspect of my life. Rather than stay stuck due to unhealthy coping mechanisms I have chosen to take time to reflect holistically on my health and life. Wish me luck!”
Remaining Committed to Her Mental Health
Panettiere expressed her excitement about returning to work on Nashville after she checked into a treatment center
“I was always so terrified that people weren’t going to accept me,” she told Yahoo! Style in May 2016. “I finally just went, I’m tired of living afraid. I’m tired of living in fear of what people are going to think, so, you know, I’m just going to put it all out there on the table and I’m not going to worry about the judgment.”
Discussing Her Struggles
Panettiere opened up about her battle with postpartum depression during a 2017 appearance on Good Morning America
“It takes you a while. You feel off. You don’t feel like yourself,” she said about how her struggles made her a “better” mom. “But, you know, women are so resilient, and that’s the incredible thing about them. I think I’m all the stronger for it. I think I’m a better mom because of it. Because you never take that connection for granted.”
Being Written Off ‘Nashville’ Amid Her Struggles
In her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere recalled being temporarily written off of Nashville‘s fourth season to facilitate her going to rehab
“The producers had no choice but to write me out of the script temporarily — something that killed me because I’d always prided myself on my professionalism — and I issued a statement about where I was going and why,” she wrote. “My fans and the press were hugely sympathetic — and I’ll always be grateful for that — but a part of my career I’d come to depend on suffered. Neutrogena canceled my long-standing contract, and it was yet another blow in a year that had given almost nothing else.”
Panettiere, who appeared in various advertising campaigns for Neutrogena, previously alluded to her partnership with the brand ending
“I talk about traumatic moments and things that people don’t even know about,” she exclusively told Us in May 2026. “The abuse I went through at the hands of people that were supposed to be there to protect me. Admitting to all of the things that I did. I knew if I was going to do this, I wanted to be brutally, painfully honest. When I was honest about postpartum depression on Live With Kelly and Michael [in 2015], the repercussions were shocking. After that interview, I had no idea when I walked off that stage that I was going to get the call saying, ‘Neutrogena wants to fire you. They’re not OK with this.’ And you’re going, ‘Wait a second, of all the things, how can they judge me about something that is so human and so real?’”
Us reached out to Neutrogena’s parent company, Kenvue, for comment at the time
Navigating Postpartum Depression in the Public Eye
“I had it, like, all planned out in my head, and as the plans just collapsed, the postpartum came, and I was completely out of control, and suddenly I was this … I was nowhere near the mom that I had sworn to myself that one day I was going to be and that was devastating,” Panettiere told Us in her May 2026 cover story
She continued: “That was devastating. [It] was heartbreaking. I’m such a perfectionist in so many ways that being at least a good mother was just so, so important to me. And such a crushing blow when I was incapable of being, an even semi-decent mom, in my mind.”
At the time, Panettiere recalled the day Klitschko gave her the documents to sign over full custody of their daughter amid her personal struggles
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“It was a nightmare,” she told Us. “It was a living nightmare, and I felt so out of control. There’s nothing that I could do about it.”
Looking back, Panettiere admitted she wasn’t sure she fully processed the situation
“I feel like I would be lying if I said that I have, even to this day, been able to fully process them, those emotions in a healthy way,” she said. “I had to figure out, there was no other option to me, but to figure out how to stand back.”
