Hayden Panettiere has come out as bisexual at the age of 36, saying she finally feels comfortable to speak publicly about it.
The American actress, known for her roles in Heroes and Bring It On: All or Nothing, opens up on her sexuality in her new memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
Speaking to US Weekly for the upcoming release, the mother of one admits she was scared of coming out to the public.
“Now that I know that this book is coming out, and that I’ve chosen to share it with the world, I’m comfortable saying I’m bisexual,” she tells the outlet.
“It was always the fear of not being perfect, and what my team was going to think about it, what the public’s opinion was going to be about it.
“On one hand, it’s sad that I had to wait till I was 36 years old to share that part of me, but better late than never, right?”
She has also spoken about her former flame Milo Ventimiglia, 48, and their age-gap romance.
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The two actors dated from 2007 to 2009, with Panettiere 12 years Ventimiglia’s junior.
She said they had a horrible breakup in which she “cried and cried”, before getting back together.
“I was over the toilet, hysterically crying,” she told US Weekly.
Panettiere then dated Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, 50, on and off for nine years from 2009 to 2018.
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The pair had a significant height difference, as Klitschko is 6’6”.
In 2023, Panettiere endured deep heartbreak when her actor brother Jansen died aged 28 from an undiagnosed heart condition.
In September last year, she shared a throwback photo of the pair together on Instagram and a tribute on what would have been his birthday.
“My little brother Jansen would’ve turned 31 today. He was a remarkable human being.
“He was wise beyond his years and operated at a higher spiritual level than anyone I’ve ever met. He was everything that is good and pure in this world.
“I miss him every single day but I know his spirit is always near, watching over and protecting me and my family.
“I love you to infinity and beyond J and we will be together again one day. #JansenPanettiere @jrpanettiere #littlebrothers.”
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