Actress Hayden Panettiere revealed to the world that she’d been facing a pretty serious substance abuse issue in recent years, relying on alcohol and opioids to get through the day.
Her addiction caused a lot of strain on her relationship with her daughter . Panettiere struggled a lot after giving birth, which caused motherhood to become quite the burden, leading her to make some very tough decisions
Hayden Panettiere recently opened up about her struggles with motherhood.
The Nashville star told People that she suffered severe postpartum depression after her daughter, Kaya, was born, battling an opioid addiction and alcohol dependency. “Those were really tough years.”
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“I could relate to a lot of those storylines like the alcoholism and postpartum depression. They hit close to home.”
Her relationship with her baby was complicated.
“I never had the feeling that I wanted to harm my child, but I didn’t want to spend any time with her,” says Panettiere, who says she didn’t drink or use substances while pregnant, but faced issues after Kaya was born.
“There was just this gray color in my life.”
“I would have the shakes when I woke up and could only function with sipping alcohol.”
In 2018, the same year Nashville ended, Panettiere made the tough choice to send Kaya to live with her father, ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, in Ukraine. “It was the hardest thing I ever had to do,” she said, “But I wanted to be a good mom to her, and sometimes that means letting them go.”
Thankfully, she’s been doing much better in recent years.
She attended a rehab facility for eight months, one she credits with helping her defeat her addiction. “It’s an everyday choice, and I’m checking in with myself all the time,” she said, “But I’m just so grateful to be part of this world again, and I will never take it for granted again.”
What she’s accomplished is no easy feat, she should be proud of herself!
She didn’t provide an update about her relationship with Kaya, but we hope it’s on the mend.
If someone you know is struggling with alcohol dependency, you can help them seek treatment with the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator.
h/t: Independent
