Mild spoilers for past episodes of Nashville
Hayden Panettiere made her first post treatment red carpet appearance at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, where she was nominated for her work in Nashville. It’s good to see Hayden out and about, particularly because I’ve been missing her on Nashville. They explained her absence by claiming her character was in rehab, and it makes me wonder if they wrote that storyline for her before or after she sought treatment for postpartum depression, not that it matters but I’m genuinely curious. (Outlets did report that her character’s PPD was a coincidence, but I suspect that they sent her character to rehab so that Hayden could break from filming.)
Hayden was honest and outspoken about her postpartum depression before she went into treatment, admitting to multiple outlets that she suffered from it and trying to communicate to other women that they were not alone. In a new interview with ET ahead of the Critics Choice Awards, Hayden said that she was surprised by all the support she’s received after leaving treatment. She also called it “an intense year.”
It’s been an intense year for me. There’s been a lot of things that have changed and that have happened. To be recognized by the critics is just…
You’re a role model for mothers who are getting through ppd… and playing a similar character… what kind of reaction have you gotten?
I’ve gotten an incredible amount of support and I was actually really surprised cause I feel like I grew up in this industry that, in my mind, was very judgmental… people were waiting for me to fall… so putting out something so personal… I was just waiting for it.I didn’t even look at social media. Then, when I looked, people were like, ‘Oh my gosh, good for you,’ and I am so proud to be a spokesperson [voice rises like it’s a question] and a woman that people can look to and to know that they’re not alone and they’re not weak if they go and they seek help.
How is the transition back to work?
To be honest it was kind of a rocky start for me and especially emotionally. The first scene that I did the other day when I saw certain people that I haven’t seen in a while and I felt really comfortable. I just lost it and I couldn’t keep it together. So, it held us up for a second but we got it at the end.
[Quotes from video and text on ETOnline]
Whenever I hear an interview with Hayden, I’m so impressed at how genuine she comes across. She’s a great actress and I’m really looking forward to seeing her back on Nashville. It’s not coming back until March 16th though, which is too bad.
I can’t cover this without reporting that Hayden seems to have new boobs though. I mentioned this yesterday in a fashion post for the Critics’ Choice. However I was looking at other recent photos of Hayden and her chest looks just as big. (See the first photo below.) She got called out by The Enquirer in 2010 for a possible boob job, I was checking our archives and I covered it at the time. (I didn’t like her back then but she’s since grown on me and/or changed.) That’s totally her prerogative if she got another tune up, but I don’t know if I would highlight the work in a revealing dress like she is here. They look really altered, to put it nicely. However she could be using enhancers or she could just be larger up top after having a baby.
Getting back to the topic, I do think she’ll help other women realize that they’re not alone with PPD. It always helps when celebrities speak out on important health topics, particularly mental health because there’s still such a stigma.
Hayden also talked to People Magazine and E! Online and said basically the same thing she told ET, that she’s no longer afraid of what people think and that she “saw how much people rallied behind me when I was honest, and I didn’t know that honesty could be such a gift.” She also says that by being open she hopes to be a role model for her daughter.
Photo credit: FameFlynet and WENN.com
Not a huge fan but man this must have been really tough for her. And I admire her greatly for being a spokeswoman for other women who are silently suffereing from PPD and wondering why they can’t shake “the baby blues”.
Applause and best of luck to her as she paves the way for others to get treatment.
Agree!
Good for her, very important to put it out there and raise awareness. It must also be hard to go back to a role of a woman suffering from ppd , but maybe it’s therapeutic in a way?
Big no no for the dress! (Maybe she’s still breastfeeding and that’s the cause of the change?)
Industrial-strength stickum .
That was my first thought.
Second thought: industrial-strength new mom.
Best of everything to her.
I’m going to say her ‘new boobs’ are breastfeeding related; either she’s still doing it, or she’s quitting and enjoying the massive engorgement results. We should see what they look like in a year, because mine have gone from A to DD and everywhere in between.
They are implants. She got them way before she had the baby.
She’s cute but they boobs look terrible imo.They are too large for her small frame. Also this cavity in the middle a la Tori Spelling looks weird.
I’ve seen pictures in a bikini and they look even worse.
Even if they are implants, I would say there’s definitely some breastfeeding going on – why am I even commenting on this!? why do we have to comment on her boobs? In general and also because she just had a baby.
Kip the first thing that i noticed when i saw the picture with the peach dress was her boobs. They are in your face, how not to notice? she is wearing a revealing dress that barely covers her nipples and shows her engorgement + breast implants, is it so bad to make a comment? From the side you can see everything.
it’s her body of course but this is a gossip site… Plastic surgery is often discussed.
there’s nothing enjoyable about engorgement. And that portion of the dress is extremely unflattering for her. Poor choice if that’s a boob job.
Engorgement is misery! I can’t even imagine being engorged on top of implants.
I also can’t imagine being comfortable wearing something with my boobs out on display like that. I’d feel too naked.
Agree with all said here. I saw these photos and was aghast and in pain for her!
Yeah, her boobs just look like breastfeeding boobs to me, with the veins and all.
Distracted from awful boob job here….
It’s not a boob job – it’s milk. She’s still breastfeeding, LOL! NOT ok to show them off right now, LOL
It’s nice to see her looking so happy after what sounds like a rough road. Her comment about thinking everyone in the industry was just waiting for her to fall was so sad, I can’t imagine. I’m glad she’s spoken out and gotten the support she deserves.
Me too Esmom. She looks gorgeous and glowing. I’m happy the worst of it seems to be behind her.
As a postpartum doula who works with so many moms who suffer from postpartum depression, it’s really important to normalize these confusing feelings after birth. We see so much “it’s the most wonderful amazing thing ever” and it IS, but it’s also some gnarly emotions and it’s not always peaches and cream.
Way to much boob on display, only small/small medium chested women can get away with those cuts.
I do hope she continues getting better but I feel uncomfortable with someone who is mentally vulnerable being encouraged to advertise their private medical details to the world. The reality is that by publicising this she will be defined by it and it will be used against her in the future. Whether in her personal life in the event of a divorce/custody battle, in disputes with people (she’ll be too easily labelled as ‘crazy’ and won’t be taken seriously) or in her professional life when she will lose jobs because producers aren’t looking for that image. It might not seem such a good idea in the future. We are viewed in the manner we present and rightly or wrongly treated as such. Perceived weakness sets us up as targets and it’s insane to give people that ammunition against us. The same people who encourage you to spill all are usually the ones to take advantage of you in my experience. Anyone who tells you to show your most innermost weaknesses to the world is not your friend.
I do understand that concern. However, the only way to break the misconception that mental illness means you are weak, is to raise awareness. And the best people to raise awareness are those already in the spotlight.
so the more who stand up the better.
That’s true and in a year from full recovery then I wouldn’t worry. The problem is that she’s very vulnerable right now and if the people in her life aren’t protecting her until she’s fully better then I wouldn’t put it past them to take full advantage if the situation merited it. Facing anyone who knows you’re vulnerable right now is a danger because it puts you completely at their mercy and now the whole world knows. Which is why I think it’s potentially dangerous to be announcing things like that to anybody whose not your most discreet, trusted confidants.
It’s one thing to raise awareness once you’ve dealt with it and are strong but right now I think it makes a very vulnerable person extremely vulnerable to anyone who is in a position to take advantage. And life is full of people like that, Hollywood is crawling with devious people.
My niece has a one year old son, and she just told me she has been experiencing ppd. Hers has manifested itself in the form of anxiety. I wish I knew how to be of some help to her, other than being loving and listening. Any suggestions from other ppd sufferers? We do not live in the same part of the country, so watching the baby is not an option.
Encourage talk therapy. Reach out often, daily if you can. Listen without judgement. Listen carefully for signs of worsening. Advise her to speak about it to her significant other, local friends, parents, etc. Kindness while always having the interests of the baby foremost in your mind.
Get her talking. As fellow PPA sufferer, my biggest issue is the intense loneliness and lack of an outlet for my anxiety/frustration. Talking helps so much. Try to avoid talking about your own troubles to seem sympathatic but keep your subjects light. And listen and have her talk it out as much as she can.
GNAT, I think the thing that women are most concerned about is fear of being judged. And feeling guilty that they aren’t “over the moon” or whatever. People have an idealized vision of Perfect Mommy, and they don’t realize the extreme biological/psychological/hormonal event pregnancy and post-pregnancy really is. I have a friend who suffered this and did some extreme things. Finally, she confessed what was happening and found a support group. It took her about a year or so, but she is great now, and truly happy. Ladies, if you feel like this, it’s ok. Just know you aren’t alone, crazy or a bad person. As a matter of fact, you just nurtured and created a human being, so recognize that you might need some recovery and tlc, okay?
Thank you all so much. These suggestions are so helpful, and I will use all of them. I’m really grateful to each of you for taking the time to answer my question.
Yeah, this is why celebrities as role models is a bit awkward.
There are too many receipts/confirmations about her abusive husband, ex boyfriends and father (mother looking the other way) for me to feel comfortable with her being a spokesperson for anything.
@Ellie, but surely if she has survived what sounds like a lot of abuse in her life, that makes her an amazing spokesperson?
Why should the fact that she was abused invalidate her opinions on ppd? FFS!
Does anyone notice that her face is different too? There is definite tweaking going on with her face.
I’ve grown to really like her on Nashville too, I’m glad she’s up to coming back to work, and that the cast/crew sounds to be supportive towards her. I got the impression that the PPD storyline may have been coincidence, but the rehab visit was written in to give her time off.
I applaud her for speaking up honestly on an issue that many want to ignore. I wish her continued good health (and better fashion).