Hayden Panettiere he pulls the curtain behind him.
While promoting his new memoir, It’s Me: Countinghe thought about the most troubling time in his life when he said he was “told to do” sexual acts with an older man he met through a trusted friend.
“The fact that I was 18, even though I had lived such a great life and I thought I had grown so much at 18 … scientifically, your frontal lobes don’t develop until you’re 25, 26?” Panettiere, 36, said during the Monday, May 11, episode of the “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” podcast after writing about the experience in her book. “So even though I felt like I could make healthy choices, safe choices, I wasn’t fully aware of what was happening around me.”
Panettiere spoke about the “shocking” incident that took place in a “very small room” on the boat with the author and health coach. Jay Shettynoting that it was even more stressful because of “literally going out to sea.” The actress was 18 years old at the time and was starring in a very hot show Heroes as Claire Bennet, a restless cheerleader with great healing powers.
The former child star – now shares daughter Kaya, 11, with her ex Wladimir Klitschko – he said he never expected to be thrown into the room by someone he saw as “a protector and someone who has my back.”
“He put me in bed next to this topless man who was very famous,” Panettiere said, revealing that he did so “just because it was a normal day for him.” Panettiere said she immediately became more alert and aware of her surroundings, adding, “That lion in me, this fire in me … my hair fell out and I became angry. I was like, ‘This is not happening.’
He had no place to hide at the time, but was “trapped” in another room.
“There was no jumping and no swimming,” added Panettiere. And no one would sympathize with my situation. I could see that this was nothing new to them.
Panettiere said it was a “disappointing” memory to look back on, “when someone lets you down like that.” He revealed that he had been let down by others in the past.
Looking back, Panettiere said it made her appreciate those in her life she could rely on during difficult times – including her father, Skip Panettierewho was his ‘safe place’ consistently and ultimately “strong.”
“When you find someone you truly trust, you hold on to them for dear life and you feel lucky,” the statement said Nashville star shared. “So to be betrayed like that is just a bad feeling.”
Panettiere recently opened up about her childhood fame, surviving addiction, abuse and more Us WeeklyCover story, narrative Us there is much more to an actress than meets the eye.
“I think people will be surprised by what they learn,” she said.
After overcoming some of the biggest challenges of her life, Panettiere admitted to Shetty, 38, that she takes a closer look at how she evaluates the people who enter her lane. “I can’t see right away … They managed to pull the wool over my eyes,” she said.
“Throughout these years, I’ve been lucky enough to meet amazing people,” he emphasized. “She’s incredibly loyal, and genuinely beautiful.”
