Hayden Panettiere has discussed giving up custody of her daughter
(Picture: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images)Actress Hayden Panettiere has discussed her difficult decision to relinquish custody of her daughter, Kaya, to her former partner, Wladimir Klitschko.
In 2018, the Scream star signed papers to give her ex full custody of their seven-year-old, allowing Kaya to live in Ukraine with him as she battled addiction.
The 33-year-old described the move as the most “heartbreaking thing” she’s ever done, during an appearance on the latest episode of Red Table Talk.
In a clip obtained by People, Adrienne Banfield Norris asked Panettiere: “You thought this was an agreement that you came to, that you felt it was best that your daughter be with her dad?”
To which, the TV star replied: “At first it was not, because it wasn’t a discussion.
“If he had come to me and said, ‘I think, because of where you’re at right now and your struggles that you’re having, it would be good for her to be over here with me for a while…’
“If I had probably had enough of a conversation, I would’ve said, okay, that makes sense, I get it, I’ll come there to visit and stuff like that.
“Because of the way that it was done, it was very upsetting. It was the worst, signing those papers, the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever, ever had to do in my life.
“The papers were to give him full custody. I was going to go work on myself, I was going to get better, and when I got better then things could change and she could come to me, and I could have my time with her. But that didn’t happen.”
Panettiere began dating the heavy-weight boxer in 2009. After a brief split, they got engaged in 2013 and welcomed their daughter a year later.
Following Kaya’s birth, the actress previously revealed she experienced postpartum depression and, four years later, the couple split, with the Nashville star vowing to work on herself after battling addiction issues.
The Heroes star is currently focused on making a comeback to Hollywood and is set to reprise her role as the iconic Kirby in horror franchise Scream.
