Hayden Panettiere on Milo Ventimiglia, Her Mother and Abuse in New Book
Variety • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Hayden Panettiere’s memoir “This Is Me,” releasing May 19, reveals her lifelong acting career, coming out as bisexual, and her mother’s controlling influence on her career, including extreme measures to book roles.
- The book details Panettiere’s struggles with postpartum depression, alcoholism, relinquishing custody of her daughter, and her abusive relationship with ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who was sentenced to jail and given a restraining order.
- Panettiere opens up about her parents’ 2008 domestic violence incident, clarifying the circumstances and its impact on their marriage, and shares personal experiences with drug pressure and sexual coercion in Hollywood.
- The memoir recounts her relationships with Milo Ventimiglia and Wladimir Klitschko, including the emotional challenges during her breakup with Klitschko amid her mental health struggles.
- Panettiere dedicates the book to her late younger brother Jansen and discusses her ongoing recovery journey focusing on sobriety and mental health.