Hayden Panettiere says 'traumatizing' Nashville storylines reflected her sobriety and custody battles: 'I felt like I was playing my own life'

Hayden Panettiere has said her “traumatizing” Nashville storylines reflected her real-life sobriety and custody battles, making her feel like she was “playing her own life.”

The actress, now 34, played Juliette Barnes on the show from 2012-2018 – and claimed 'from the start' that her storylines were strikingly similar to her own life.

Panettiere, who struggled for years with substance abuse and postpartum depression, handed over full custody of now nine-year-old daughter Kaya to ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko — which she said also became a storyline.

Speak with The messengershe said: 'From the beginning it was like this: I'm dating a football player, Juliette is dating a football player

“And then they turned her into an alcoholic. Then they turned to her, as she left her daughter behind and went so crazy [place] in Europe,. And it was very clear… they weren't doing their homework. They didn't create new storylines.

The actress, now 34, played Juliette Barnes on the show from 2012-2018 – and claimed 'from the start' that her storylines were strikingly similar to her own life

“They just looked at my life and said, 'Oh, let's just take what she's going through and put our little spin on it. And then, ta-da! It's done and done.'

She added that filming was “very traumatizing, it felt like I was playing my own life.”

Panettiere previously revealed that she started abusing drugs and alcohol when she was just 15 years old — and that her addiction spiraled out of control as she battled postpartum depression after Kaya's birth in 2014.

The actress turned to the bottle to help cope with postpartum depression and she described the experience as marked by feelings of “extreme hopelessness.”

Her low mood was exacerbated by the recurring effects of a former neck injury, which also led her to use opioids.

When she went to rehab in 2015, she said it was her idea: “I was the one who put myself in the first treatment center. I was drowning.'

When she turned 30, the household name found herself in another 12-step program, in which participants are encouraged to live a life of completely abstaining from all mind-altering substances, including alcohol.

Panettiere, who struggled for years with substance abuse and postpartum depression, handed over full custody of daughter Kaya, now nine, to ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko — which she said also became a storyline.

She admitted she was shocked by a conversation with her ex-partner when he revealed their child kept asking to call other women 'mummy'

“My body said, 'enough,'” she explained. 'I turned thirty. My face was swollen. I had jaundice. My eyes were yellow. I had to see a liver specialist. I was holding a weight that wasn't normally there. My hair was thin and came out in clumps.”

After struggling with substance abuse issues for years, Hayden signed over full custody of Kaya to Klitschko in 2018, but claimed in 2022 that it was 'not' a mutual agreement. She has been sober since 2021.

She admitted she was shocked by a conversation with her ex-partner when he revealed their child kept asking to call other women 'mummy'.

Hayden said on Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk: “I remember her dad too [Klitschko] calls me and says Kaya goes around asking other women if she can call them mommy.”

She described how she felt the moment after. “My breath caught and my heart stopped, and he laughed. He thought this was funny and I thought it was horrible.”

'He didn't understand it, unlike me, who saw it was a trauma response. That's a cry for help.'

Then she explained, “I immediately said, 'Can I talk to my daughter?' and when I asked her about it, she started talking goo-goo ga-ga, like she was just talking gibberish.”

'I've never heard her do that before. It was a trauma that she experienced now that I was no longer there.'

Hayden suggested her ex Wladimir 'doesn't understand' the lasting impact Hayden's absence could have on Kaya

Hayden suggested that her ex Wladimir “doesn't understand” the lasting impact Hayden's absence could have on Kaya.

She added: “As much as I have tried to explain how much she needs her mother and how it will crop up later when she is older and it can turn into anger, depression and sadness, but it will be a trauma. You can explain it to someone who doesn't understand that concept, or believe it until you're blue in the face.”

Panettiere's return to the big screen is overshadowed by the death of 28-year-old brother Jansen in New York City on February 19, 2023.

The actor died of aortic valve complications due to an enlarged heart, but despite her grief, the actress remained committed to recovery.

“A big part of my therapy was living in forgiveness,” she noted. 'One step in the twelve-step program is making amends.

'If someone wants to be a good person and be the best version of themselves, he or she can choose to do so.'