Hayden Panettiere’s death came as a shock to many of her fans — but her friends were “worried” about the actress after she reconnected with her abusive ex Brian Hickerson.
“Hayden seemed to be doing well [recently], but there was still concern among her friends and inner circle,” a source who recently spoke with Panettiere exclusively tells Us. “Especially because she started spending time with Brian again.”
The insider continues, “That relationship and association had led her down a dark path in the past, so her friends and inner circle were worried for her. There were concerns and her friends really hoped she was doing OK.”
Us has reached out to representatives for both Panettiere and Hickerson for comment.
Panettiere navigated a series of public highs and lows as a former child star-turned-bonafide actress — including several allegations of domestic violence against Hickerson, one of which landed him in jail in 2021 — before she was found unresponsive on Sunday, August 16.
The Nashville alum’s father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed her death that same day, calling Hayden “an incredible light and a force of nature.” She was 36.
Despite “everything she was going through personally,” the source tells Us, Hayden was a “very supportive friend” until the end.
“She always tried to remain positive and was such a joyful person to be around,” the insider shares of the Heroes alum, who dealt with postpartum depression, addiction and abuse at the hands of Hickerson in the years prior to her untimely death.
Hayden — whose younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, died in February 2023 at the age of 28 — was “fighting a lot of demons behind the scenes,” the source reveals.
“But she still remained optimistic about her future and hopeful about what was ahead,” the insider adds.
The source also tells Us that after Hayden published her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, in May, she felt “relief” and appeared to be headed in a positive direction.
“She wanted to be a bright light and an advocate and always talked about wanting to help people,” the insider tells Us.
Hayden was first linked to Hickerson in 2018 and one year later he was arrested following an alleged domestic violence incident against the former child star.
At the time, Hickerson was charged with felony domestic violence and was ordered to stay away from Hayden. Those charges were eventually dropped and Hickerson continued to date the Remember the Titans actress.
Hickerson was arrested again in 2020 for another domestic violence incident involving Hayden, for which he served 33 days in prison. Following his 2021 release, Hickerson was placed on four years probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine.
“It was brutal. It was traumatic. It was emotional,” Hayden exclusively told Us of the experience in her May cover story, noting it was “important” to “word that experience properly” in her book.
She added, “I needed to believe that it happened for a reason. For something so horrible to happen, the only thing that I could think of to make it all worth it, was [to] let people know that they’re not alone and help people.”
By detailing her alleged abuse in the memoir — Hayden recounted the first time Hickerson allegedly hit her with an “open-face slap” and another time he allegedly beat her so badly she didn’t “leave the house for weeks” — she told Us it was allowing her to help others not feel “alone” if they’ve been through a similar situation.
“[I want others to know] that there’s somebody out there who went through it,” Hayden added. “And even though it took her years to truly get herself out of the situation, it’s possible. You can do it.”
The same month that her book was released, Hickerson told TMZ that he imagined himself marrying Hayden some day, even though they “probably wouldn’t be good together.”
Hayden, for her part, shut down that idea on May 13, telling the outlet, “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
