Published: 10:33 BST, 17 August 2026 | Updated: 16:51 BST, 17 August 2026
Hayden Panettiere insisted she 'never stopped choosing' her daughter after granting her ex Wladimir Klitschko full custody, following her postpartum depression battle.
The actress died on Sunday night aged 36, with police saying there were 'no signs of foul play'.
In 2018, following her split from fiancé Wladimir, 50, Hayden announced she had made the 'difficult decision' to sign full custody of her daughter Kaya Evdokia Klitschko to her ex. Kaya then moved to his native Ukraine.
The widely-discussed decision came after Hayden fell into a deep depression – which she said made her 'feel nothing' – and led to her 'turning to wine' and ultimately being sent to rehab for both depression and substance abuse.
In her final interview in May, she spoke to Dear Momé about her choice, saying: 'It wasn't a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make. I was going through a really challenging time in my life'.
She told Jay Shetty on his On Purpose podcast in May: 'I have been the one who sought it out, who was saying, ‘I desperately need help. I know this is going to look terrible, but I am. I cannot live like this anymore…
Hayden Panettiere insisted she 'never stopped choosing' her daughter after granting her ex Wladimir Klitschko full custody, when she was three in an interview conducted months before her death
In 2018, following her split from fiancé Wladimir, 50, after Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, Hayden announced she had made the 'difficult decision' to sign full custody to her ex, meaning Kaya would move to his native Ukraine
The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be OK with it is heartbreaking. It couldn’t be further from the truth…
'It became this horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse, and just me trying to find my way back.'
In her chat with Dear Momé about her daughter, saying: 'I love my daughter, and I'm so proud of the young woman she is becoming. I talk to her all the time, and I feel so connected to her. She's like a mini-me.'
Discussing the prospect of bringing her daughter back, Hayden insisted that she would not want to take her away from her 'incredible' life in Ukraine.
She said: 'By the time I finally got healthy, I felt like it would have been unfair of me to, and selfish of me to try to pull her out of this life that she had been creating.
On Monday it was announced that Hayden, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, has died aged 36 with police saying there were 'no signs of foul play'.
