Hayden Panettiere, largely absent from public view since Nashville ended in 2018, says she has struggled with alcoholism and postpartum depression in the years since the series went off the air.
In an exclusive Good Morning America and People magazine interview, Panettiere said today she “didn’t know where the alcoholism was ending and the postpartum was beginning.”
“I didn’t have any negative feelings towards my child,” Panettiere told ABC News’ Kaylee Hartung. “I just knew I was deeply depressed.” The actor said she found support only in “the bottom of a bottle.”
“People around me were more concerned about my usage of alcohol than they ever were about the postpartum depression,” she said, adding that she felt like she was “walking blind.”
“And I don’t like to ask for help either,” Panettiere said. “I wanna be that strong, stoic woman. But, I mean, when you see a happy-go-lucky girl for years suddenly on the floor in a puddle of mess and alcohol, you gotta know something is wrong.”
Panettiere said she eventually sought help at that treatment facility, and is now sober. “It’s an everyday battle,” she said. “It really is. I’m grateful to say that I’m sober today.”
Since her hit show "Nashville" ended in 2018, Hayden Panettiere said the years that followed have "been difficult."https://t.co/U5n9TC1p5h
— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 6, 2022
