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![Hayden Panettiere arrives at her younger brother Jansen's celebration of life event in their hometown of Palisades, New York, with her on/off boyfriend Brian Hickerson. The grieving actress wore a colorful bomber jacket and black pants as she attended the memorial at the scenic Palisades Presbyterian Church alongside her mother Lesley Vogel and father Alan ‘Skip’ Panettiere, on Wednesday morning. Jansen’s girlfriend Cat Michie, who has posted a heartfelt tribute to him on social media, was also seen at the venue. ‘Scream, 6’ star Hayden, 33, was expected to speak at the event, which was being held in remembrance of the 28-year-old former child actor, who died last month due to an enlarged heart. A friend of the former actor told officials he'd checked on Jansen at home after he'd failed to show up for a business meeting. Upon arrival, he was found sitting upright in a chair unresponsive. Jansen's dad, Skip, had spoken to his son on the phone just the night before, and thought he "sounded okay." On Wednesday, friends and family came together at the small church which is just a few miles away from Jansen's apartment in Nyack where he was found dead. 08 Mar 2023 Pictured: Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere. Photo credit: MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA953084_001.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Hayden-Panettiere-jansen-memorial-mega-02.jpg?fit=330%2C440)
Hayden Panettiere and former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko had an on-and-off relationship that lasted for years before eventually going their separate ways. During their romance, the former couple welcomed daughter Kaya in 2014 and later remained committed to co-parenting after their split.
Over the years, Panettiere has occasionally opened up about their relationship and family dynamic, including during a 2022 interview with People, where she spoke about Klitschko and their daughter living in Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion. “We’ve been working hand-in-hand,” she said at the time. “He’s busy fighting, so every time I get to hear his voice or get a text, it’s a relief.”
Though their romantic relationship ended, the pair have continued supporting one another while raising Kaya together. Find out more about Hayden and Wladimir’s relationship, both past and present, below.
Hayden Panettiere & Wladimir Klitschko First Met in 2008
Hayden and Wladimir, who is a Ukrainian former professional boxer, first met in 2008. The Scream 4 star said she and her future boyfriend went to a party for a mutual friend, in a 2013 interview with Ellen DeGeneres. She admitted to talking to him first. “You’re huge,” she hilariously told him. “You’re tiny,” he responded.
They Started Dating in 2009
Although Hayden was dating actor Milo Ventimiglia when she first met Wladimir, they broke up in 2009. She and the hunk then reconnected and started their romance. It’s not clear exactly when their relationship began, but they were seen together that year and the rest was history.
Hayden & Wladimir Split for the First Time in 2011
The couple called it quits after almost two years of dating in May 2011. “Even though we’ve decided splitting up is best for both of us, we have an amazing amount of love and respect for each other and remain very close friends,” Hayden said at the time. Wladimir also spoke out about the breakup.
“We had a great time together, but it’s not that easy to manage a relationship between two continents,” he said in a statement. “I have a lot of respect for Hayden as a person and as a friend, and I believe we’ll keep our friendship even after the separation.”
They Rekindled Their Romance in 2013
Hayden and Wladimir were first seen once again hanging out in public in Feb. 2013. They were having lunch at a taco restaurant in in Hollywood, FL, and were then reportedly showing off PDA on a beach. The outing happened two months after Hayden broke up with her boyfriend of over a year, New York Jets wide receiver Scotty McKnight.
Hayden & Wladimir Confirmed Their Engagement in 2013
Although rumors of an engagement were swirling all year after Hayden was seen wearing what looked like an engagement ring, she didn’t announce that she and Wladimir were planning on walking down the aisle until her interview on Live! With Kelly and Michael in Oct. 2013. “There’s a very large diamond ring on your ring finger. … I’m not sure if you want to announce anything. Does that signify anything, is that a promise of something?” Kelly asked the beauty. “It might be … I mean, I think it speaks for itself,” Hayden responded before saying “I am” after Kelly then straight up asked, “Are you engaged?”
Hayden later opened up about Wladimir’s sweet proposal, in a 2014 interview with Brides. It was “very sweet and simple and genuine,” she told the outlet. “It wasn’t about being overwhelmed by fireworks or a mariachi band. I think it’s amazing when people do that, but I like that mine was simple and from the heart.”
“I have always dreamed of a wedding day!” she continued. “Not over the top or crazy, but yeah, I’ve always thought about it. It’s one of those things you have to just cross your fingers and hope everything will go smooth. You will plan and plan and at the end of day you just have to kick back and see what happens.”
They Bought a Home Together in Nashville
At the time, Hayden was filming the show, Nashville, in the city and when it became successful, she thought it would be perfect to purchase a home in the location with her future husband. She spoke of the normalcy of their life after they moved into the house, in an interview with Southern Living. “I like being in a place where people appreciate the little things and don’t need a lot of stuff to be happy,” she said. “Living in Nashville gives me a sense of normalcy that I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get back in my life.”
Hayden & Wladimir Welcomed Daughter Kaya in 2014
Six months after reports first announced they were expecting, the pair became parents to their little girl and shared photos with People just a short time later. “He is just so over the moon,” Hayden told the outlet about Wladimir as a dad. “I’m lucky if I can get my hands on the kid. He’s like, ‘No, no, I got her.’ Which is exactly what I thought he would be like.”
Hayden Panettiere Sought Treatment for Postpartum Depression in 2015
“It’s something a lot of women experience. When [you’re told] about postpartum depression you think it’s ‘I feel negative feelings towards my child, I want to injure or hurt my child.’ I’ve never, ever had those feelings,” she said about her struggles with new motherhood, on Live! With Kelly and Michael in Sept. 2015. “Some women do. But you don’t realize how broad of a spectrum you can really experience that on. It’s something that needs to be talked about. Women need to know that they’re not alone, and that it does heal.”
The next year, she was spotted without her engagement ring, and when rumors that she and Wladimir split began to start, she took to the internet to dismiss them. “Missing rings don’t mean the end of relationships,” she wrote alongside a photo of her and Wladimir with their adorable daughter. “Blessed to be with my beautiful family.”
Hayden & Wladimir Split in 2018
Hayden was spotted holding hands with Brian Hickerson in Los Angeles, CA and her mom was quick to confirm that her relationship with Wladimir had ended. “There are a lot of changes going on in her life,” Lesley Vogel told RadarOnline. “She needs to take a little bit of a break and make some decisions on her own of what she wants to do. So I think she is in a very good place.”
It was also confirmed that Kaya had moved to Ukraine with her dad after the split. Lesly said the parents were happy co-parenting her and were on good terms.
Hayden Opened Up About Co-Parenting Kaya in 2022
In 2022, Hayden admitted she was going through struggles with substance abuse and depression at the time of her split from Wladimir, and although she was seeking treatment, it was part of the reason their romance ended. She said it was also the reason she let Kaya move to Ukraine.
“I never had the feeling that I wanted to harm my child, but I didn’t want to spend any time with her,” she explained before opening up about Wladimir’s alleged feelings. “He didn’t want to be around me. I didn’t want to be around me. But with the opiates and alcohol I was doing anything to make me feel happy for a moment. Then I’d feel worse than I did before. I was in a cycle of self-destruction.”
“It was the hardest thing I could do,” she added, referring to letting Kaya move away. “But the best thing for my daughter was to make sure she was okay, take care of myself and make sure I could be a good mom to her. And sometimes that means letting go.”
In Feb. 2022, the doting mother also confirmed that Kaya was “safe” and “not in Ukraine” at the time of Russia’s invasion.
Hayden Panettiere Defended Her Custody Decision in 2026
In 2026, Hayden addressed criticism surrounding her decision to allow daughter Kaya to live full-time with Wladimir while she battled postpartum depression and addiction. Speaking on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast ahead of her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere pushed back on claims that she had “abandoned” her daughter, calling the suggestion “heartbreaking.”
Hayden explained that Kaya initially traveled back and forth between Nashville and Ukraine before Klitschko eventually sought full custody in 2018. Though she described signing the custody papers as “one of the worst days” of her life, Hayden said she ultimately believed keeping Kaya in Europe was the most stable choice at the time.
She also shared that she and Kaya still maintain a close relationship through regular FaceTimes, visits, and conversations, adding that her daughter is now thriving in Europe and speaks five languages.
