The heartache behind Hayden’s split

As Hayden Panettiere moves on after her broken engagement, pals reveal the real reason behind the end of her nine-year romance

fter she was pictured holding hands with aspiring actor Brian Hickerson last week, Hayden Panettiere’s mother confirmed that the actress had parted from her long-term fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, father of her threeyear-old daughter, Kaya.

Speaking about her daughter, 28, who is reported to have been dating Brian, also 28, for a month, Lesley Vogel said, “There are a lot of changes going on in her life. But I think they’re positive changes. And I think that she’s taking some time. She needs to take a little bit of a break and make some decisions on her own of what she wants to do. So I think she is in a very good place.”

Insiders also told E! News that Hayden and her former fiancé are “on good terms” and that while the couple are co-parenting Kaya, the little girl is “primarily with her dad and his family in Europe and Florida”. The source added that they “also spend time together as a family with Hayden”.

POSTNATAL DEPRESSION

Now sources close to the actress tell Closer that their nine-year relationship had been under strain with Hayden’s battle with postnatal depression. The Nashville star has made no secret of her struggle with the illness since the arrival of Kaya in December 2014, having undergone two rounds of treatment. In January last year, Hayden opened up about her experience, saying, “It takes you a while to realise there is something wrong. You feel off. You don’t feel like yourself. “But I think I’m all the stronger for it. And I think I’m a better mom because of it.” Our source says, “Of course it’s been hard for Hayden to get over her severe postnatal depression. It’s not something that you can magically recover from and the pressure understandably took a toll on her relationship, despite the love they had

for each other. It’s been very hard for both of them. They are still supportive of each other, but they couldn’t find a way to make things work. It’s been heartbreaking for everyone involved, but their priority now is Kaya.”

pressure

Former Heroes actress Hayden first started dating Ukranian boxer Wladimir, 42, in 2009. They split two years later, before reuniting in 2013 – and Hayden fell pregnant the following year. She admitted herself into a rehab facility for postnatal depression ten months after the birth of her daughter, entering into a second round of treatment seven months later. In 2016, she was spotted without her wedding band, but denied split claims on Instagram, saying, “Missing rings don’t mean the end of relationships.”

The source says, “One thing Hayden has found incredibly hard to cope with is the pressure on her as a wellknown TV star, as well as all the interest in her romantic life. She felt there was a lot of pressure on her following Kaya’s birth to immediately get back into shape. Everyone around her is worried that she may be throwing in the towel too soon on her relationship with Wladimir – who’s an amazing dad – but it all got too tough.”

Pals say Hayden is now focused on being happy and looking to the future.

The source adds, “She’s in LA and taking this time to focus on her career, as well as having some fun with Brian. Her close friends are obviously worried for her, given everything she’s been through, but she has told them that this is what she needs to do in her life right now.”