{"id":6879,"date":"2026-08-18T21:06:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6879"},"modified":"2026-08-18T21:06:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:06:45","slug":"hayden-panettiere-recalled-heartbreaking-moment-she-signed-over-custody-of-daughter-kaya-before-death-i-was-gritting-my-teeth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6879","title":{"rendered":"Hayden Panettiere recalled heartbreaking moment she signed over custody of daughter Kaya before death: I was ‘gritting my teeth’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Hayden Panettiere recalled trying not to break down in tears as she signed away rights to her daughter at a restaurant in front of a group of strangers. <\/p>\n

Read more Neutrogena\u2019s stock spirals after Hayden Panettiere\u2019s tragic death as fans vow to boycott: \u2018I will never buy again\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI was sitting there with these people, gritting my teeth as hard as I can to not start sobbing,\u201d she shared during a panel discussion for her memoir,\u00a0\u201cThis Is Me: A Reckoning,\u201d\u00a0in West Hollywood, California, just months before she died.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then I just heard them laughing and chuckling, and I was like, \u2018I can\u2019t believe you can watch somebody who\u2019s obviously doing one of the most painful things in the world,’\u201d she said, adding that she didn\u2019t realize there would be witnesses present during the signing.<\/p>\n

The actress subsequently sequestered herself in the bathroom in order to wrap her mind around \u201cthe reality of the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Panettiere \u2014 whose father, Alan \u201cSkip\u201d Lee Panettiere, was present for the heartbreaking moment \u2014 noted that she had to \u201cbe a little careful\u201d when broaching the topic, adding, \u201cI want to make sure I continue to have a beautiful relationship with my daughter.\u201d <\/p>\n

Elsewhere in the discussion, the \u201cIce Princess\u201d actress divulged that \u201cThe worst thing that somebody said to me is that it was a personal choice that I was making.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued, \u201cWho would choose to feel like this? Like, how could you even say that to me? This beautiful child is healthy and everything to celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cNashville\u201d star \u2014 who had candidly spoken out about her battle with postpartum depression \u2014 explained that she was \u201ccompletely incapable of doing it,\u201d adding, \u201cI felt so guilt ridden that I was incapable of doing it.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hayden also looked back on seeing a headline reading, \u201cWhy Hayden Panettiere Gave Up Her Daughter,\u201d and confessed, \u201cYou might as well have taken a knife and stabbed me in the heart.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIf anyone knew me, they [would] know that I would do absolutely anything for my daughter,\u201d the Golden Globe nominee said. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd sometimes that means not what you want as a mom or what\u2019s going to make you feel good as a parent, but what\u2019s best for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

A source told Page Six following her death on Sunday that at the event, \u201cHer speech appeared slow and slurred at times\u00a0during the book signing,\u201d and that she became visibly emotional at times.<\/p>\n

The beloved actress shared daughter Kaya, now 11, with ex-fianc\u00e9 Wladimir Klitschko, who obtained custody of the child in 2018 as Hayden struggled with postpartum depression and addiction.<\/p>\n

Read more Tupac Shakur\u2019s chilling words to Las Vegas cop who escorted wounded rapper to hospital before his death<\/a><\/p>\n

The former couple shared a stable co-parenting relationship, with Hayden frequently traveling to Ukraine \u2014 where Klitschko was raising Kaya \u2014 to see her only child.<\/p>\n

The comments about signing over her rights came amid what would ultimately be Hayden\u2019s final public appearance.<\/p>\n

Per 911 audio obtained by Page Six, on Sunday the former child star was\u00a0found dead\u00a0at a luxury apartment complex\u00a0in Greenville, South Carolina, after\u00a0an apparent \u201coverdose.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

An autopsy\u00a0revealed she had no \u201csigns of trauma\u201d at the time of her death. She was 36.<\/p>\n

Her family confirmed her death in a heartbreaking statement. \u201cIt is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,\u201d her father said in the statement. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her \u2014 and to the millions who watched her onscreen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Skip asked the public for privacy amid the \u201cunimaginable loss\u201d of Hayden. <\/p>\n

Hayden\u2019s estranged mother Lelsey Vogel, meanwhile, slammed her on-off boyfriend,\u00a0Brian Hickerson \u2014 who was with Panettiere\u00a0at the time of her death \u2014 in a scathing statement on Tuesday. <\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments,\u201d Vogel\u00a0told NBC News. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry \u2014 it is a struggle, and it\u2019s a very challenging industry, and it\u2019s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vogel added, \u201cThis person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death. And that was Brian Hickerson.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA\u2019s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Damning\u2019 new Epstein evidence could be coming as trove of case docs to be unsealed: report<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before her tragic death at 36, Hayden Panettiere recalled the painful moment she signed over custody of her daughter Kaya to Wladimir Klitschko.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parents"],"yoast_head":"\nHayden Panettiere recalled heartbreaking moment she signed over custody of daughter Kaya before death: I was 'gritting my teeth' - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=6879\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hayden Panettiere recalled heartbreaking moment she signed over custody of daughter Kaya before death: I was 'gritting my teeth' - 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