Hayden Panettiere<\/strong> is opening up a couple of deeply personal decision she needed to make several years ago. While promoting her memoir, she reflected on the challenges she has faced throughout her life, including her alternative to present up custody of her only child. Despite public criticism, the actress stands by her decision and shares the explanations and circumstances that led her to make it.<\/p>\n In an episode of the \u201cOn Purpose<\/a>\u201d podcast with host Jay Shetty, Hayden Panettiere talked about giving up full custody of her only daughter, Kaya, to her ex-fianc\u00e9, Wladimir Klitschko, who lives in Ukraine.<\/p>\n The actress made the custody agreement official in 2018, and it made the rounds on news outlets. Many criticized the actress, accusing her of abandoning her child despite knowing that Panettiere struggled with addiction and postpartum depression.<\/p>\n Within the podcast, the 36-year-old actress said it was \u201cheartbreaking\u201d knowing that some people believed she gave up her daughter so easily. Panettiere also cleared the speculation that she was \u201cforced\u201d into treatment, sharing that it was her decision to hunt help. \u201cI desperately needed help,\u201d she acknowledged.<\/p>\n Panettiere described herself as a \u201cmother lion\u201d and said she would do anything for her daughter. She gave birth to Kaya in December 2014 and separated from Klitschko in August 2018. The ex-partners remained on good terms following the split, and Klitschko filed for full custody of their daughter, knowing that it was what was best for his or her daughter at the moment.<\/p>\n Panettiere was heading into treatment and signed the documents. Nonetheless, she said the choice was \u201cincredibly difficult\u201d to make, but she needed to recover first as a way to be her best self for her daughter. \u201cIt became this horrible cycle for years of battling depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and substance abuse and me just trying to search out my way out of this darkness,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n In an interview with Us Weekly<\/a><\/em>, the actress said that the choice was a \u201cliving nightmare,\u201d but she ultimately made the \u201cbest\u201d alternative for her daughter at the moment, and that was to stick with Klitschko, whom she described as an \u201cincredible father.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2023, the actress opened up about postpartum depression, saying that she didn\u2019t immediately know she was affected by it. It\u2019s quite common for brand spanking new moms to experience mood swings and anxiety days after giving birth, but in some cases, moms have postpartum depression, a more severe case of the \u201cbaby blues\u201d that may last months, per the Mayo Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Symptoms may include mood swings, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, and difficulty connecting with the kid, which can affect the mother\u2019s ability to offer proper care to the infant. \u201cI wish I knew about postpartum depression. I wish I knew to look out for it,\u201d Panettiere said<\/a>, sharing that she drowned her feelings in alcohol, which she admitted was a brief fix that made things worse afterward.<\/p>\nThe Actress Made The Difficult Decision For Her Daughter\u2019s Sake<\/h2>\n
Hayden Panettiere\u2019s Postpartum Depression<\/h2>\n
![\"Hayden](\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/hayden-Panettiere-1-768x1124.jpg\")
The Actress Hit Rock Bottom And Sought Treatment<\/h2>\n
![\"Hayden](\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/hayden-panettiere-nyc-768x1177.jpg\")
![\"Hayden](\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Hayden-Panettiere-768x539.jpg\")