Hayden Panettiere: The decision to give up custody of the daughter

Hayden Panettiere spoke openly about her daughter in her book of memoirs released in May, “This Is Me: A Reckoning”, months before the news of her death, and during a participation in Jay Shetty’s podcast “On Purpose”. 

The actress saw the birth of little Kaya on December 9, 2014, the result of the relationship ended with Wladimir Klitschko, and chose to make the difficult decision to give custody of the girl to her father in 2018. 

“ Not being under the same roof every day as she has been the most distressing experience of my life, and it is difficult to describe the various emotions – including sadness, resentment and anger – that I felt because of it,” the actress wrote, according to People. 

“ I'm sorry I'm not the mother I thought I would be and I'm definitely not the mother I want to be (believe me, no one should have to raise a child by FaceTime), and although I miss Kaya very much, who even hurts my heart, I know I'm very blessed to be her mother. She is the greatest gift of my life, with all the best qualities of the father and mine”, he added.

“ She didn't ask to be born in the spotlight or in the middle of my chaos, and she didn't get a chance to choose her parents. I want her to have all the options I didn’t have, including the possibility of taking a private life”, she continued. 

And out of respect for her daughter, the actress said she would only talk about motherhood in her perspective and keep the personal details of the girl out of the spotlight. 

Hayden Panettiere took responsibility for what he called “failure as a mother” and praised the former companion, having described him as “one of the bravest people he has ever met and a true hero in many respects”. “You’re a wonderful human being and an amazing father to Kaya.”

Hayden Panettiere's difficulty in bonding with her daughter after childbirth and addiction

The actress also spoke of the battle against postpartum depression. “I’ve always heard that mothers feel an instant wave of love the moment they look at their baby, but I didn’t feel anything,” he confessed among his vents. 

At this stage, alcohol became increasingly their ‘enemy/aligned’. Consumption intensified after returning to work in Nashville, and admitted that she felt relieved when the father of her daughter and former companion, Wladimir Klitschko, was not around to see how many bottles she consumed. 

“I needed a drink to work – at 6 a.m. – and that was shit. If I didn’t get help as soon as possible, I would be fucked.”

Hayden Panettiere started treatment against addiction when Kaya was only four months old and was also diagnosed with postpartum depression.

At the time, she was prescribed medicines to help her deal with alcohol addiction, but then she developed another addiction. “I went into rehab addicted to one substance and became completely dependent on another.”

The medication left her “zombie” and at one point woke up in a hospital, this after a colleague found her asleep without waking her. And he ended up drinking again. 

The difficulties he faced affected both his work and his relationship with Wladimir Klitschko. And after the relationship ended, the actress eventually left custody of her daughter with her father, because she was more concerned about Kaya. 

“ I remember every second of that day. Every damn second. No mother could forget anything of the day she gave up her son for adoption ", confessed.

“ It was the hardest thing I could do. But the best thing for my daughter was to make sure she was okay, take care of myself and make sure I could be a good mother to her. And sometimes that means letting her go,” she told People in an interview in 2022. 

But although Kaya kept living with her father, Hayden Panettiere kept in touch with the girl through trips she made to visit her and video calls.

In fact, as reported by the international press, the actress was to turn 37 on August 21 and her plan to celebrate the date was to be with her daughter. 

Hayden Panettiere, remember, died last Sunday, August 16, at age 36. Emergency services were alerted to an “unconscious woman” through a call. The woman was later identified as Hayden Panettiere.

The rescuers tried to revive the actress, but her death was eventually declared at 2:32 [local time]. “The preliminary investigation did not indicate any signs of crime or suspicious circumstances,” the police said.

After the news of his death there were many who reacted and honored Hayden Panettiere, among them Wladimir Klitschko, former companion and father of both their daughter, Kaya.

“Hayden was, although she was no longer my companion, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya. She built an incredible career thanks to her immense talent, while facing the darkest sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the moments we shared or the place she occupied in our lives. To our daughter Kaya, I will always talk about her mother with respect and I will make sure that she remembers the person she was”, she can read in her message.