Hayden Panettiere said she ‘never stopped choosing’ her daughter Kaya after granting her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko full custody in 2018.
The Heroes actor died on Sunday night, aged 36, with investigators confirming there were ‘no signs of foul play.’
Panettiere and Klitscho began dating in 2009, welcoming Kaya Evdokia Klitschko in 2014 before splitting in 2018.
In the same year, the Nashville star announced she had made the ‘difficult decision’ to sign full custody of her daughter, now 11, to her ex after struggling with her mental health and addiction issues.
Panettiere spoke about the choice during her final interview with Dear Momé in May, titled ‘Hayden Panettiere Never Stopped Choosing Her Daughter’.
‘It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make,’ she said.
‘I was going through a really challenging time in my life… I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mom she needed me to be.’
She then opened up about her relationship with Kaya, explaining that they had become closer.
‘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,’ she continued.
Discussing the prospect of bringing her daughter back, the Scream actor said she would not pull Kaya away from her 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.’
In the same month, she spoke to Jay Shetty on his podcast about seeking help after struggling with her mental health.
‘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.
‘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.’