Hayden Panettiere Reveals She Is Bisexual at 36

Actress Hayden Panettiere has publicly shared that she is bisexual for the first time.

In an interview with Us Weekly published Wednesday, the 36-year-old actress said writing her new memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, helped her feel ready to speak openly about her sexuality.

“Now that I know that this book is coming out, and that I’ve chosen to share it with the world, I’m comfortable to confidently say that yes, I am bisexual,” Panettiere said. “This is the first time I got to say it out loud.”

The memoir will be released on May 19. Panettiere said she decided to be “completely brutally honest” in the book, including discussing her attraction to women and past relationships.

She explained that she had been afraid to come out earlier in life because she did not feel encouraged to fully be herself. She also said there was a period when some people viewed women publicly identifying as bisexual as “a fad,” which made her hesitant to speak openly.

Panettiere said she began exploring her sexuality at a young age and dated women in the past, but feared public attention because paparazzi closely followed her life.

“I didn’t really have the courage to throw myself fully, emotionally into it,” she said, adding that she did not want to hide a relationship if she fell in love.

The actress is known for roles in Heroes and Nashville. She previously dated Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia and was engaged to boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she shares an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.

Panettiere also discussed her past relationship with Brian Hickerson in the memoir. Their relationship included allegations of domestic abuse and legal issues. In 2020, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend and was sentenced to 45 days in jail.

Speaking to Us Weekly, Panettiere compared leaving an abusive relationship to “trying to rip a weed out” because of how difficult it can be to fully separate from the person.

She said that events in Wyoming helped her move forward, though ending the relationship completely took time.