Hayden Panettiere granted full custody of her daughter Kaya to her ex-fiancé, former boxer Wladimir Klitschko, in 2018 while battling postpartum depression and addiction [1, 2]. Kaya was born in December 2014, when Panettiere was 25 years old [1].
Panettiere described her postpartum depression as feeling "like my soul was dead" and a "total blackout of emotion" [2]. She said she was "full of stress and anxiety all the time" and turned to heavy daily drinking to cope. Four months after Kaya’s birth, Panettiere was consuming a bottle of wine plus a mini bottle of Fireball whiskey each day [1, 2].
Between the third and fourth seasons of the TV show Nashville, which she shot from 2012 to 2018, Panettiere entered treatment for postpartum depression [2]. She said, "What I was doing to suppress those emotions was not normal and it was not healthy. I was miserable. I was in tears all the time" [1].
The custody decision gave Klitschko full custody of Kaya when the child was about 3 years old [2]. Panettiere believes that letting Kaya live with her father in Ukraine protects Kaya’s mental and emotional wellbeing away from public scrutiny [2].
Childcare expert Connie Simpson expressed understanding of Panettiere’s choice and emphasized the importance of stability for children. Simpson said, "When I see a mother throw her child a secure and stable lifeline, I am not going to be the one to throw a stone" [1].
Panettiere and Klitschko first met in 2009 and began dating. They split in 2011 but reconciled and got engaged in 2013 [1].
In May 2026, Panettiere gave an emotional interview and released a memoir detailing her postpartum depression and custody decision [1, 2].
