I thought that the story about Hayden Panettiere’s four-year-old daughter, Kaya, living with her dad, Hayden’s ex, overseas would not get much traction. US Magazine was right though, the story was front-page worthy as it’s notable that a child isn’t living with her mom. There isn’t a custody battle, the article stated that Hayden knew that it was better that Kaya stayed with her dad, boxing great Wladimir Klitschko, in Ukraine. US even posted a video with more quotes stating that Hayden told them “everything has been amicable” between her and the retired heavyweight champion boxer. I didn’t include that in the story because I did a half-assed job with it. She said:
“We get along really well. We’re still respectful of each other and we still have that friendship with each other. It’s a new [situation] but I think we’ve done a really good job.”
As someone who co-parents peacefully with an ex who lives overseas, it’s possible and it sounds like the case here. This isn’t a Kelly Rutherford situation where she’s complaining and trying to strip him of custody and it doesn’t sound like he’s doing that to her either. Us did include the detail that “others insist Hayden is secretly struggling” while living so far from her child. However they write that “Hayden comes and goes to Europe to visit Kaya. Wlad travels a great deal as well.”
They also reported that “Panettiere has reportedly not seen her daughter in four months, though a source close to Panettiere disputes this and says the actress has been to Ukraine recently. It’s heartbreaking and challenging. They didn’t spend the holidays together.”
Yesterday I said that this was likely a selfless decision by Hayden. However there’s speculation that she’s drinking or drugging, and it definitely looks like she’s drinking judging from the paparazzi photos. US included that in their story. They also had new quotes from her about her relationship with Brian Hickerson. She said she hopes to marry him.
“I’ve lived a big life, I’ve met a lot of people. I learn something new from [Brian] every day, and that’s something that not many people can provide me with,” the Nashville star, 29, tells Us. When asked if she thinks they’ll tie the knot someday, she gushes, “I think so. I hope so.”
As for her favorite way of spending time with the aspiring actor? “I love being low key, being mellow, having experiences, having conversations, really in-depth conversations,” adds the Heroes alum.
Hayden has been open about her struggle with postpartum depression and maybe she’s self medicating with alcohol. I’m a sober alcoholic, I know how that sh-t goes, and I also know that kids have a better life with the sober parent. Her daughter is well cared for and that’s what matters. Plus she’s not even fighting her ex about it. This isn’t an “oh just get sober” situation. If it was as easy as that, the world would be a much simpler place. Her new boyfriend sounds like bad news though.
Update: Hayden is reportedly on vacation with her daughter and her ex and recently posted a photo on Twitter that may be her.
Sweet moments with sleeping babes ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ui4cx02IOP
— Hayden Panettiere (@haydenpanettier) February 7, 2019
These photos of Hayden in the floral dress are from last August. She’s barefoot and has been drinking obviously, but we’ve seen Christina Aguilera and many other celebrities much drunker in public. Remember when Reese Witherspoon was caught on tape yelling at a cop for pulling over her husband for DUI?
These are photos from last week of Hayden at an event with her mom and brother.
Photos credit: WENN and Avalon.red
I’m not sure I buy all the aspects of this story. She posted on twitter that she was on vacation with her daughter yesterday with pictures. I don’t think it’s been 4 months, but I do think dad has primary custody.
Her new boyfriend is hella sketchy though. He keeps putting out statements for her.
Don’t buy it either. Not on this one. Whereas it can work with some couples to live so far apart, something seems more amiss here to me. I think she’s trying not to rock the boat.
And, yes, her boyfriend seems like he’s her mouthpiece and controlling what is out there.
I give it time before more shady stories come out about him. He’s probably overjoyed the ex and daughter are overseas. I know guys like that.
I mean…lets be honest: you’re in a life situation where you’re not able to care for your child but what do you hope for? To marry your sweet, enabler boyfriend. Totally healthy and totally selfless.
She’s high AF, no matter the alcohol or substance, and that’s her priority. The difference here (as opposed to other celebrities) is that she’s (more or less) upfront about it.
And this is not comparable to Reese (who I don’t like): she had a DUI, Pantierre…look at her face. She’s in throes of some kind of mess.
Nope. I don’t buy it either. There’s no power on earth that could separate me from my child for months at a time besides a court order or selfishness (addiction or otherwise). And since my child is my #1 priority, I don’t believe for a second that absenting herself is the best thing for her daughter, but it’s the “best thing” for her so she can carry on with whatever tricks she’s up to and prance around with her new piece. Grow up, Hayden.
She “learns something new from [Brian] every day.” I can only imagine what.
She has bruises on her right forearm in the flowered dress photos…like fingerprint bruises.
Came here to say the same thing.
She is wearing a long sleeve dress. The left arm is covered and the right arm with the bruise is not… I wonder if this is her way to document a possible domestic violence situation. I hope this is not happening.
Before Celebitchy posted about it, I actually had randomly thought about Hayden and whether her daughter was with her or her ex. There’s an article from US Weekly from February 1. She said something along the lines of though the daughter lives with dad in Ukraine, they travel together a lot, and the school is always emailing asking where the daughter is. That struck me as so weird. Unless you live in a place with mandatory preschool, why would a preschool call while you’re on vacation? And if it’s a preschool in Ukraine, why wouldn’t they call the dad? What kind of parent takes their kid out for an extended time without mentioning it to the teacher? It’s very fishy.
So there more now: she posted a picture on her twitter yesterday that seems to show her with her daughter (not clear as to when it was taken) and then the boyfriend made a statement that “oh she’s over there visiting them now! All’s wonderful.”
Well…that’s good timing. 😒
So there goes any possibility that US Weekly story had her cooperation. As I said yesterday, there’s a lot here and a lot of mess to come.
I looked up the boyfriend. He has one credit I could find which looks like a tiny policeman part in a movie I’d never heard of starring…Francesca Eastwood. Yeah…
I am keeping an eye on this story, my gossip senses are definitely tingling.
I mean, is there a photo, dated to yesterday, that clearly shows her with her daughter? Because this one, posted here, could be any child at any time.
But why does the father live with their daughter in the US he lived there for many years and I assume she was also born there,that way it would be easier to see her.
I kind of get the sense that Wlad’s mother is really the primary caretaker. If Wlad travels constantly for work and Hayden isn’t exactly stable, perhaps they all agreed it was best for the child to live with her grandmother.
I’m hearing about that more and more, particularly from interviews he’s done overseas. It would be one thing if it truly was that the father could provide the more stable, full time parenting. But in reality it’s likely the grandmother who is raising her? Oh boy, there is a lot to unpack here.
I used to work in a luxury hotel in Germany over 2 years ago and they were guests there. His mother is Ukrainian but she speaks Polish and I’m Polish so I was asked to take care of her as a VIP guest. She spent all days alone with Kaya. Wladimir was there to get treatment in one of the clinics and Hayden was out all the time (she was coming back with bags from luxury stores) and grandma spent all days alone in the room or in the garden with the baby.
The child lives with her father, too. Just because Wlad’s not the primary caretaker doesn’t necessarily mean he’s not a conscious, loving parent and a participant in raising her. Would you say a married, working father whose wife was the primary caretaker as a SAHM wasn’t raising his child? Unless there was more evidence that he wasn’t emotionally present for his family, nobody would say that. That’s not fair at all. When I was a kid, my dad worked and traveled a ton, and my mom was a SAHM, but I always knew my dad loved me and that his family was his number-one priority. He, along with my mom, raised me to be the person I am today.
Then why doesn’t Hayden live in Ukraine. That argument doesn’t hold up.
@E what argument doesn’t hold up? My comment wasn’t even a defense of Hayden. If anything, I was saying that I don’t think Wlad is intentionally trying to make it difficult for Hayden to see her daughter. Rather, his mother is probably the most present and stable person in the child’s life, so it makes sense for the child to live in Ukraine.
Yes. If the father is the primary caregiver, and his entire family lives in Ukraine, why wouldn’t they live there? Hayden has the ability to travel and/or move there if she chooses.
He is Ukranian, his daughter is half-Ukranian. Why should he stay in USA (especially because he’s a democratic politician in a country pretty much destabilized by Russia), when the mother of the child isn’t even sober enough to actually coparent? I mean, she has the means to get to Ukraine, it’s not on Mars. It’s a one-day trip. If Klitschko lived in Missouri, you really think Pantierre would have made the effort?
Women can be a**holes too, you know. Let’s not, per chance, put the onus on the parent who actually took responsibility.
I am not sure that Vladimir is a politician. His brother is a prominent politician, indeed. But let’s not mix them…
They’re both in the same party.
Idk. My father left when I was a kid so he could screw around and party and drink and not be tied down by three tiny kids and I don’t remember anyone going on about how selfless he was. Grow the bleep up and parent the kid you chose to have.
This. Side-eyeing the alleged selflessness as well. If it were a man, we’d be ripping him to shreds.
Preach! Wrote yesterday how shady it all seemed. There’s a bunch of words we can use to describe Hayden right now and selfless is not one of them. Once again and louder for the peeps in back DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN IF YOU ARE NOT READY FOR THEM!!!
I agree. I am so not here for the Hayden appreciation and pity party. I am happy for the daughter though. Honestly as someone with great father and shitty mother combo, I wish my mother was a deadbeat(It is what Hayden is, a deadbeat mother). It would be so much better for me and my dad’s mental health and general happiness.
Yes!!!! Why is she getting sympathy? And just because Xtina has been drunker in public this makes it OK??? I don’t get this “selfless” take on her behavior. Again, if this was a dude who was out having fun and partying with a hanger-on we’d be calling him out big time.
Same, but with my mother; she chose the drink and her boyfriend over me and my brothers. The impact of her selfishness left us with serious trust and abandonment issues. Hope Hayden gets help and is able to bond with her daughter. Sad all around.
Absolutely! Agree 100% and the vacation photos prove nothing. It’s easy to go on vacation and take a few photos, then pick up and go back to your life. That’s not being a parent, that’s being a fun playmate. Parenting is in the everyday, mundane tasks. Making lunches, doctor appointments, bedtime, bathing, reading, school drop off and pick up, etc.. the list goes on and on. The selfless angle is really reaching.
Amen. I am sorry if Hayden is too addled to deal with her kid and would rather learn things and have deep convos with her sketched out BF. It’s great that W.K. is stable enough to single parent the kid but that doesn’t absolve Hayden.
Miss me with the selfless crap. And yes substance addiction and psychiatric disorders are awful things but I don’t see this sort of sympathy going to celebrity dads that are effed up like Ben Affleck.
Yea. If you can’t stop drinking or are having mental health issues then as a parent your first priority should be getting help. If you can’t/don’t want to, I guess the best choice is to have someone else raise your child, but it doesn’t make you selfless by any stretch.
I completely agree. She wasn’t being selfless. She doesn’t want to parent, plan and simple.
I mean I guess technically anyone who abandons their kid for drinking and partying probably has “mental health issues” but lots of people with mental health issues are GREAT parents. They seek help and treatment so they can be the best parent they can be. There’s a difference between going out and drinking every so often and just straight up leaving your kid for months on end.
She has struggled with post partum depression, I don’t think she is in a good place right now, but she has done the best she could out of an awful moment, I don’t want to be harsh with her as a mum. She has to solve her issues first.
Love is an action, not what’s “in your heart”, not just words. Addiction and mental illness are monsters. Trying to do better (even trying and failing to do better) is paramount and is missing in her version of this story.
That’s what I was saying yesterday too – I’d consider it “selfless” if she were actively trying to get better so that she could be a better parent. If she’s running around partying with this guy and talking about a life with him, she’s not focusing on fixing her own life.
I have sympathy for her, she was a child star and that rarely is healthy, and she’s suffered PPD and other addiction issues, but she chose to have a child, and needs to get it together, for herself and her kid.
Also, Christina and Reese may have both been intoxicated in public before, but neither abandoned their kids, and both seemed to have moved on quite well. Christina is touring, and Reese has become a producing powerhouse. Hayden doesn’t seem to be working much right now. I don’t know why that comparison should be drawn.
“Love is an action” I am going to need this on a t-shirt or throw pillow as a reminder. It is too easy to say “I love you” and then not act in that manner for many, many people.
I cannot imagine how Hayden’s 4 year old is processing her mother walking away.
I really like the Love is an action statement,very true!
What I said yesterday (many things actually),is that the child is in the right place right now because of stability and love from dad and his family.Hayden IMO is suffering from mental illness and using alcohol,and she NEEDS TO GET HELP!She must make herself get well so as to co parent this child successfully,it does not seem she is taking any steps toward wellness,and this is what I have the biggest problem with.
If the safest thing for Kaya is to be with her Dad, then that’s what needs to happen. However if my daughter was in Ukraine, I would be in Ukraine. This boyfriend is bad news.
My heart goes out to her daughter. I hope this situation works out for everyone involved, but particularly for her little girl.
I totally agree — put the child’s interests first. Giving birth to a child does not make you a parent, and some people just do not have the capacity to be a good parent. The important thing is that a child have a loving, stable, and supportive adult who will cherish and nurture them—a true parent. It’s easy to say “if you can’t parent them don’t have them” but there are a lot of unplanned pregnancies (often despite using forms of birth control) and terminating a pregnancy isn’t a choice some women will make. I don’t judge either way, but if you’re not capable of being a good parent, the most responsible thing to do is to make sure that child is in the care of a loving and stable adult.
Sometimes the new guy takes advantage of a vulnerable person, convinces her it’s best not to see her daughter and doesn’t want her to achieve any way where she gets help. That’s abusive if this is the case here. Grandma is doing the heavy lifting I guarantee it.
Yep I’ve seen this happen. A recently single mom of 4 leaving an abusive relationship, jumps into a serious relationship with another abuser (talking about marriage on social media before she even sees him in person, her old high school crush who has had domestic violence charges in the past but it’s ok because her love is gonna change him 🙄). Her ex refused to have their kids live states away, so they live with him on one side of the country while she is slumming it in a trashy RV with her new abuser, going broke every month to help him pay off his own child support and never seeing her own kids. So sad! I hope Haydens new boyfriend isn’t shady but all signs are pointing to a toxic relationship.
So yeah, it’s not “selfless” to leave your ex to raise your child in another country so you can go out drinking/partying what-have-you. That wouldn’t be considered “virtuous”. IMO, however, it would be far LESS virtuous to keep a child in a situation where they are being raised by nannies (or worse not being cared for) because you need to be out partying. Basically, if you have a kid grow the f— up and raise the kid. There are no outs on parenting. That’s why I have chosen not to do it. How “selfless” of me to realize I’m too damn selfish to be responsible for another human 24/7!
Also, uuuuugggggghhhhhh on that fug floral dress. I’m in KY, I don’t care that she’s barefoot but I’m pretty sure she’s wearing the same dress my mom made me wear for school pics in 2nd grade. It wasn’t cute then….
Yeah, I am not buying the “selflessness” thing. If she were in rehab trying to get her life together, I’d say that is way more “virtuous” than partying overseas with your boyfriend.
*sigh* Some people just aren’t meant to be parents. It’s just a shame she had to figure that out AFTER a child was born.
It’s hard to believe, but not everyone is a victim. Some people are selfish, inherently. Some people are just terrible mothers and fathers who can’t seem to see past themselves when their kid desperately needs them. The point is, whatever your issues may be, you chose to have a child and you owe it to him or her to be an active parent. Of course, this isn’t the case for many millions of kids. But people with less resources and more personal problems have certainly gotten their shit together and been amazing parents. It’s sad and this “but she’s been a child actor from a young age and everyone has been taking advantage of her, including her current boyfriend” narrative is a pathetic excuse.
Agree, she’s a grown woman with all the resources in the world. I know it’s easier said than done, but either way, it’s like she’s chosen her boyfriend over her kid.
Not everyone can just up and be a good parent. I’m not sure why that can’t be understood.
And most people aren’t even aware they can’t be a good parent until the child gets here.
We are all conditioned to believe that parenting is an inherent skill, that parenthood mends your soul, is the sign of prosperity, health, and adulthood. It’s not and unfortunately there are people who don’t learn that until they have a kid, sometimes not even then.
This might be all Hayden is capable of.
@em your comment hit home with me. As the adult child of a selfish, neglectful mother, I have struggled to succinctly describe the experience. Thanks for finding those words for me. I hope Kaya’s grandma lives a long healthy life so that this little girl will have a chance at a stable life.
Agree. When you an adult you owe something to the children in your life. It is called responsibility.
Every adult has troubles and burdens but they have a DUTY to get their stuff together for their child/ren.
Why so many children in the world are prey to abuse and neglect? The inability of adults to understand and live this.
I honestly feel that people would be more riled up if Hayden had abandoned a pet than they about her abandoning a child, and that is interesting.
This is just a sad situation. In the article yesterday about Hayden, people speculated that Hayden hadn’t really bonded with her daughter, which i tend to agree with, based on what’s transpired. And someone mentioned how in recent photos of Hayden, she’s smiling a big smile but yet seems kind of dead behind the eyes, which i also have noticed. But yet, (tying these two notions together), i was just looking at photos of Hayden with her daughter and her smile looks much more natural, she looks at peace and truly happy & content with Kaya (IMO at least). So i just don’t know what to think.
My speculation is that Hayden is currently going through a very dark situation, probably involving addiction/substance abuse and/or mental health troubles, and that is the reason that Kaya is far away from her. I just hope that whatever it is she’s going through, that she finds her way back to a healthy state, so that she can be more present for her daughter, since she truly does look like she loves that little girl and looks happiest when she’s with her.
How has it been four months if she’s on vacation with her daughter now? *just saw the update, nevermind*
I feel bad for the little girl. I know what it’s like to have an absent parent and the negative effects it has on a child is no joke. Hayden needs to get her shit together and be there for her kid.
I was in the mood to be snarky this morning, but this story is honestly just so sad. I feel for that poor little girl. Kids know when their parents aren’t interested in being part of their lives. This just makes me so sad for little Kaya.
Once again, please stop tying Hayden’s ability to parent/heal/get sober to her love for get child.
If wishing to be better made it so there won’t be no careless parents, no addicts, no mental illness.
I’ll agree if you’re putting the burden on the child. “If I make her love me enough she’ll do better.”
But if you’re opinion is that Hayden saying “I love you and I wish it was different” fixes much of anything, then I’ll have to disagree. To carry any meaningful weight there needs to be actions underscoring the words. The words may be true but they’re too damn easy.
I don’t know what Hayden is saying beyond the assessment that her daughter is safe in her husband’s care.
She doesn’t owe anyone besides her family an explanation or a description of how she managing so we can decide if it’s enough effort.
What I do know is that loving a child is not a cure all for what ails a person. Saying if she really cared about her kid, she’d get it together shows a gross misunderstanding of a variety of issues that might keep someone from parenting.
Maybe she is a selfish bitch. But given what we know it seems far more likely she’s not in a place where she can manage meaningful change but it’s not due to a lack of care for her child.
After learning so much about the abuse of people and power within the industry, I take it with a grain of salt if folks come out of their experiences in the industry whole and healthy. If she can’t parent this child, she’s better off in a loving environment. Hopefully she gets help to get herself together.
Parents going through stuff still have supervised visitation- that’s how to stay present and connected without having custody! It might be selfless to not apply for custody if you just can’t provide a stable home life. But it’s selfish, in my books, to avoid supervised visitation opportunities. Hayden could afford monthly weekend trips to see her daughter in Ukraine at the very least. She could bring along a responsible friend or family member (that her ex approves of too) to be present during her visits or if Kaya stays overnight with her. One off vacations every 4 months just seem too little too late (if that’s the case).
There’s a lot of info we are missing about what’s really going on here. Hayden’s current relationship sounds sketchy. Her state of mind is unknown. How often the father travels is a question mark.
Is it strange to anyone else how much this mirrors the behaviour of her character Juliette Barnes in Nashville? Juliette constantly left her baby with the dad – hopefully Hayden doesn’t end up locked up by a cult.
Her career was pretty hot at the time that she had her daughter. Maybe the pregnancy was a surprise, maybe she didn’t want a baby but was talked into it by her fiancé. Maybe that’s the reason why he hasn’t made a big deal about her lack of interaction with her daughter. I think it’s unrealistic to expect women all women to suddenly become maternal the minute we find out we’re pregnant or have a baby. Everyone’s circumstances are different.
There are all kinds of stories about her on blind gossip sites about her being very badly abused as a child. I know many of these stories on these sites are not true, but I wonder about her story because she has never really come out and denied it. Perhaps she knows given her past and her history with depression that her child is better with her father right now. If so, good for her for figuring that out and doing what’s best for her child.
Mm. I’m still in two minds about this. Yes, Hayden isn’t looking after her daughter. But from the sound of it, neither is her ex for that matter? Like, it seems like he’s been travelling an exceptional amount, and then leaving her in the care of his mother, who’s doing the bulk of the child rearing?
I’m not trying to equivocate the two situations here. Obviously, Hayden should get cleaned up and work harder to be a parent. And yes, her ex seems to have a better handle on his life, and if he’s not spending as much time with his kid it’s not necessarily because he doesn’t want to, but because his work is kind of throwing a wrench in the situation. But it doesn’t sound like either of the two of them are with their child in a huge capacity. And while I’m not trying to go all “whataboutthisorthat” here, it doesn’t seem like her ex is getting any flack for not being present for his child, even though it’s kind of clear that he’s not that present for his child either.
And it’s just weird to me that he couldn’t continue his business in America, where he can be closer to Hayden and facilitate more of a relationship with his child and her? Instead, it seemed like he moved back to Europe because he wanted his mom to be closer to them to help with the child rearing? Why do that? It’s not like he can’t afford childcare in the US, or like Hayden can’t provide money for childcare if he wanted it. Or he could bring his mom to the US if he had his heart set on having grandma around to raise her. Why move so far away JUST for something like that?
Perhaps he wants to raise his child where he grew up and where his family is?
Why can’t Pantierre come to Ukraine? What is she doing that she can’t come where her daughter is? Her career is practically non-existent at this point, she has enough money…why doesn’t SHE move? Their child is half-Ukranian and why not raise her there, where she has more familial support (and healthier family, considering Pantierre’s stage mom and that everyone is blaming her for Pantierre’s problems)? USA is not be all, end all kind of place that surpasses everything else.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare a parent who practically gave up from any kind of parenting versus a parent who took responsibility, but has to work to provide for his child. If roles were reversed, if a father did what Pantierre did, I wonder would you be so ready to defend the actions….like, it seems that you think the child would be better off with addicted mother that shows no interest in child whatsover (per commenter who met them, even before the breakup, grandma was around her more than mom) than with a caring parent, because he’s working and has to leave her with grandmom she is close to! it’s baffling, this kind of logic.
I don’t know why people are so upset. She is not the custodial parent. In my country, when the non-custodial parent lives too far away, they only see their kids during the school holidays, and those can be several months apart.
The winter school holidays are starting in Europe so the timing of her being with her daughter now is not that suspicious.
That being said, I still think she is in a bad place, she gives me Brittany Murphy vibes and it’s for the best that het child is not living with her all the time. There’s nothing wrong with being raised by your grandmother.
You don’t know why everyone is so upset? Situations in which children are given up by a parent are considered unfortunate and tragic and not something positive. Particularly for the child.
Yes, many people are raised by grandparents. That’s a good thing, not a bad thing. Much better than being raised by nannies who have no lifelong bond, no matter how good a job they do. And it seems that the grandmother was taking care of her even when her parents were still together, so grandma is the steady person that didn’t change before and after. That’s a lucky kid.
Living in Ukraine gives her relationships with other family members as well. Plus she will be fluent in Ukrainian. This is another good thing.
And a four year old is old enough to benefit from video calls. These are easy enough to set up and are real game changers for noncustodial parents or just parents who travel a lot. A laptop can do it. A smartphone can even do video calls now. This means we really don’t know how much contact either parent has with the child. With modern technology, there could be a lot of long-distance interaction we just don’t know about.
If Hayden has addiction issues, it’s probably best for to not be around her child. In an ideal world every parent would rise to the occasion but we live in the real world; and in some cases it’s best for the child to not be around a parent who has serious issues.
I don’t mean to threadjack, but, to Celebitchy, I’m a little behind on my Celebitchy articles. I was just reading he article on Julianne Hough’s endometriosis and noticed you mentioned having recurring UTI’s and how you’re on a low dose antibiotic. I had UTI’s every few months for years. I asked doctors repeatedly if there was anything I could do and they just gave me antibiotics. Then I started taking a very inexpensive probiotic called Femflora by Swanson. You can get it on Amazon. It has changed my life. I started taking it about 4 years ago and have had ZERO UTI’s since. I hope I can spare you the trouble of antibiotics, which just make things worse long term IMO, and the pain of recurring UTI’s with this recommendation. Please try it. Good luck!