Hayden Panettiere Shares Why She's "Looking Forward" to Discussing Her Struggles With Daughter Kaya

Hayden Panettiere is getting vulnerable about her past.

The Scream 4 actress recently opened up about her healing journey after battles with postpartum depression and substance abuse, noting that she plans to talk candidly about her struggles with her 8-year-old daughter, Kaya. As Hayden told Women's Health in a cover story published March 6, she's "looking forward to the day where I get to have these conversations with her."

Hayden shared, "I'm grateful that I'm equipped with the information and with the experience that I've had with postpartum depression."

Previously, Hayden has been candid about her past struggles with alcoholism and an opioid addiction. In July 2022, she told People she was offered "happy pills" at age 15 before walking red carpets, and that the "the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn't live without" as she got older.

When she welcomed Kaya in December 2014 with ex Wladimir Klitschko, Hayden's postpartum depression marked the period as a "gray color" in her life, she told the outlet. "I never had the feeling that I wanted to harm my child," she said, "but I didn't want to spend any time with her."

Her opiates and alcohol usage caused rifts in her relationship with Wladimir, who she split from in 2018. The same year, Hayden, in an effort to focus on recovery, decided to have Kaya live with her dad in the Ukraine.

"It was the hardest thing I ever had to do," she recalled to People. "But I wanted to be a good mom to her—and sometimes that means letting them go."

Now, Hayden hopes that being open about her experiences will help others.

"A lot of people feel stuck," she told Women's Health. "I want to let them know they're not alone."

To get to where she is today, the 33-year-old recalled how therapy and a 12-step program profoundly impacted her life.

"A big part of my therapy has been living in forgiveness," she noted. "A step in the 12-step program is making amends. If somebody wants to be a good person and to be the best version of themselves, they can choose to do that."

Hayden also drew a connection between herself and her Scream character, Kirby Reed, who will appear in Scream 6 after a near-death experience in 2011's Scream 4 and being confirmed alive in 2022's Scream 5. The role also marks Hayden's first major onscreen performance in over four years.

"We saw Kirby get stabbed, but we never saw her die. We didn't see her rescued either," Hayden said. "She has that human trauma, and it's changed her. That's something I can obviously relate to."

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