Hayden Panettiere has broken her silence after she raised concerns about her health in a “worrying” video, with fans claiming the star has “slurred speech” and can barely keep her eyes open.
The 35-year-old actress, who has openly battled alcohol and opioid addiction, left fans speculating that she was “clearly not sober” when she spoke about the tragic passing of her brother Jansen and motherhood of her daughter.
In response to the concerns, Hayden’s representatives said Page Six: ‘When she first spoke about her brother, it was very emotional for her. It had been a long and tiring day for her.’
They confirmed: ‘She was not under the influence’.
A source also told the publication that the star was “fully cooperative” during the interview and video with People Aand her team ‘were present on set during the filming.’
Hayden Panettiere has broken her silence on the ‘slurred speech’ interview with People on Wednesday that left fans concerned for her health
Responding to the concerns, Hayden’s reps told Page Six: “Talking about her brother for the first time was very emotional for her — and it had been a long and tiring day for her.”
In the original interview, Hayden spoke about the death of her brother Jansen at age 28 in 2023, “an enlarged heart” and motherhood of nine-year-old daughter Kaya.
While Hayden said her only child was her “mini-me,” her fans were concerned about her slurred speech.
Hayden said of her daughter, whose father is the star’s ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, 48: ‘She’s beautiful and she was born just like me.
“Talk about nature versus nurture. I mean, this little girl literally came out, not only did her face look like mine, but she is my personality, she’s just…
‘Maybe she’ll become a director.’
Followers commented: ‘Slurred speech eyes can barely stay open trying to get through long words clearly not sober. Very sad’ with DWTS pro Peta Murgatroyd writing: ‘This interview needs to be deleted ASAP!’
Another fan wrote: ‘This is complete exploitation. This is an addict who is clearly very unsober.’
Others wrote: ‘You really didn’t have to post this and cause more damage, this is just sad’, ‘I’m shocked this was posted… it’s uncomfortable and sad to see’ and ‘It feels like someone is taking advantage of an addiction, this shouldn’t have been posted.’
The 35-year-old actress, who has publicly battled alcohol and opioid addiction, left fans speculating that she was “clearly not sober” when she spoke about the tragic passing of her brother Jansen and motherhood of her daughter
Followers commented: ‘Slurred speech eyes can barely stay open trying to get through long words clearly not sober. Very sad’ with DWTS pro Peta Murgatroyd writing: ‘This interview needs to be deleted ASAP!’
“This is so uncomfortable to watch,” “Umm drunk,” “please get help honey,” “This is horrible to watch,” and “I see I’m not the only one who ran to the comments to find out what’s going on… pretty worrying.”
Some fans wrote that the star was giving off “Anna Nicole Smith vibes,” referring to the death of the famed Guess model, who died in 2007 from drug poisoning.
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for the star for comment.
In the interview, Hayden became emotional as she spoke about the rapid weight gain she had experienced following the sudden loss of her brother. She admitted that she was living “in sweatpants” and “unflattering” T-shirts because she “hated” the way she looked and was terrified of leaving the house.
Jansen passed away in February 2023 and now the 35-year-old Heroes alumnus tells how his shocking death affected her. She says it felt like she ‘lost half of her soul’.
She also revealed that the “stress” of his death caused her body to “blow up,” leaving her in a “really bad” and “destructive” situation.
“When my brother passed away, my body did something I had never seen before,” she said.
‘Within a few days I was pretty much burned out. I know that stress and cortisol flowing through your body can cause that.’
The star said she had tried “everything” to lose weight, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t do it.
“I tried everything, everything that was unhealthy, everything that was healthy,” she continued. “It didn’t matter what I ate, it didn’t matter what I did.
‘My body protected itself, shielded itself from the world.’
Hayden said she became so insecure about her appearance that she developed agoraphobia: a fear of going outside.
The actress’ younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, died in February 2023 from “an enlarged heart.” They can be seen together in 2011
While reflecting on her brother’s death, Hayden admitted that she still feels like she’ll “never get over the loss of him.” They’re seen in 2013
“I was living in sweatpants and a T-shirt, things that were consuming and unflattering,” she recalls.
‘It took me so long to pick out an outfit that I felt comfortable enough in to leave the house and hang out with my girlfriends.
“It became this really bad, destructive hamster wheel of: Do I feel good enough to go out there? I don’t feel confident enough, but if I don’t go out and keep moving, I’m never going to look like that again.”
Reflecting on her brother’s death, Hayden admitted she still feels like she’ll “never get over the loss of him.”
“He was my only brother and it was my job to protect him. When I lost him, it felt like I lost half my soul,” she said, holding back tears.
“I remember saying to someone, ‘Don’t ever, ever expect me to get over losing him.’
Jansen died in February 2023 at the age of 28, after being found “unconscious” in his Nyack, New York apartment by friends.
Sources later told DailyMail.com that he had previously struggled with drug addiction and had been in rehab for a year before his shocking death.
Hayden has spoken openly about her own battle with addiction – previously revealed by When she was 15, someone on her team started giving her “happiness pills” so she would “be cheerful during job interviews.”
“I had no idea this wasn’t appropriate, or what door this would open for me when it came to my addiction,” she told the outlet.
By the age of 16, she was already drinking and regularly taking opioids when she wasn’t on set filming Heroes.
“As I got older, I could barely live without drugs and alcohol,” she said, adding that her addiction worsened while filming Nashville and that she suffered from postpartum depression.
When she entered rehab in 2015, she said it was her idea: “I was the one who put myself in the first treatment center. I drowned.”
She hit rock bottom after filming for Nashville wrapped in 2018. She sent Kaya to live with her father Klitschhko in Ukraine and was eventually hospitalized with jaundice. She told my doctors that her “liver was going to fail.”
Hayden has spoken openly about her own struggles with addiction, revealing that at the age of 15, someone on her team started giving her “happy pills” so she would “be happy during interviews.”
When she turned 30, the household name entered another 12-step program, in which participants are encouraged to embrace a life of complete abstinence from all mind-altering substances, including alcohol.
In 2022, she spoke openly about her struggles for the first time: “I thought I had hit rock bottom, but then there’s a trapdoor that opens.”
“I was on top of the world, but I blew it,” she confessed.
In April, she announced her memoir, Scream And Break Free: Addiction, Trauma, and How the Cheerleader Saved Herself.