Hey everyone, Hayden Panettiere just shared something really personal. The actress, who we know from shows like Heroes and Nashville, says she is bisexual.
She talked about it for the first time in a new interview with Us Weekly, ahead of her memoir called This Is Me: A Reckoning. The book comes out this month, and it sounds like writing it helped her finally feel okay saying this out loud.
Hayden is 36 now, and she told the magazine it took her a long time to get here. Growing up in the spotlight, she felt like she always had to look perfect.
No one really encouraged her to just be herself. She worried people might think she was only saying it because it was trendy at the time. That fear kept her quiet for years, even though she had felt more attracted to girls than boys since she was a kid.
It makes you think about how tough it can be when you’re famous and everyone is watching. Hayden mentioned the paparazzi and lack of privacy made it scary to date women openly.
She didn’t want to hide a real relationship if she fell in love. She has dated women before, but she held back emotionally because her truth wasn’t out there yet. Now she feels relief and pride. “I’m comfortable to confidently say that, yes, I am bisexual. I said it!” she shared.
Her past relationships were public—like her engagement to boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she shares an 11-year-old daughter named Kaya, and her time with Brian Hickerson. But this part of her life stayed private until now.
Writing the memoir over two years helped her face these feelings. She also talks about her struggles with addiction and getting sober in the book. It seems like she poured a lot of real life into these pages.
Hayden hopes her story can help other people. She wants readers to know it’s okay to take time figuring things out. Better late than never, she says.
If you’re going through your own journey of self-discovery, her words might feel encouraging. It’s brave to share something so personal, especially after years of pressure.
The book This Is Me: A Reckoning is set to release around mid-May. If you enjoy Hayden’s acting, this might give you a deeper look at the person behind the roles.
It’s a reminder that even stars deal with the same kinds of worries many of us do about being accepted for who we are.