Hayden Panettiere is ready for her comeback — and a close-up with her fans.
An actress who achieved huge success in series like Heroes and Nashville before he steps back from the spotlight and seeks substance abuse treatment, he’ll be candid during three upcoming engagements on “An Intimate Conversation with Hayden Panettiere.”
“I’m really excited for them,” she told PEOPLE exclusively about the events that will take place later this month in New York, DC and Philadelphia. “These will be moderated talks where I’ll touch on my career as a whole and my journey, the lessons I’ve learned and the valuable advice I’ve received. I want them to be really intimate, stimulating, encouraging and motivating.”
Panettiere, 34, has a lot to discuss — and says nothing is set when it comes to conversations, including her recovery from opioid addiction and alcohol abuse, which she discussed in a 2022 PEOPLE cover story.
She says her recovery has been going well and she’s grateful to be able to help others who are struggling.
“I want to let them know that there is a time when you go over the hill,” she says. “Recovery is real. It can happen and you can be happier than you’ve ever been in your life. When you’re an addict, it’s really hard to believe that you can get relief, so you just have to hear from people who have come out the other side, people who can tell you that is it possible and that they can do it.”
Flyer for the upcoming Conversation with Hayden Panettiere.
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As she returns to Hollywood, Panettiere says it’s been crucial to remember how far she’s come.
“If you forget that you were an addict, it can lead you down the wrong path,” she says. “As long as you remember, you can stay on the same path and keep doing the things that make you happy, make you feel healthy, make you laugh, and keep you sober.”
Hayden Panettiere revealed addiction to opioids and alcohol: ‘I was in a cycle of self-destruction’
Panettiere will also talk about being a child actor and the toll it took on her mental health.
“I was 4 years old when I was on A guiding light“, she explains. “And before that I shot a bunch of commercials. So taking some time after Nashville was important. I literally haven’t taken a break from the industry since I was about 8 months old.”
“It was difficult,” she continues. “It’s hard to keep up with your friends, to keep up. I was an outsider.”
She also relied heavily on the team around her to make career decisions for her — and that wasn’t always in her best interest. She previously told PEOPLE that she was first introduced to illegal substances at age 15 when someone on her team started offering her “happy pills” before she walked red carpets.
“They should have made me lively during the interview,” she said at the time. “I had no idea that it wasn’t an appropriate thing to do, or what doors would open for me when it came to my addiction.”
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Later, after she had a daughter Kaya (9), whom she shares with ex-Wladimir Klitschko, she suffered from postpartum depression and became even more addicted to drink and drugs.
Hayden Panettiere on her relationship with ‘smart, funny’ daughter Kaya, 7: ‘She still loves me’
“It was hard,” she says of postpartum depression. “Nobody taught me about it or said, ‘Hey, look out for these symptoms.'”
After making the effort to get to a healthy place, Panettiere is looking toward a bright future, which includes getting back in front of the camera. And for the first time, he trusts his own instincts.
“It’s been a process,” she says of her return to the limelight. “For me, it’s putting one foot in front of the other, getting back on stage and trusting my instincts as an actor and trusting my instincts when I’m reading the scripts, deciding if I’m going to like it or not, and not letting someone else say, ‘Hey, this is a project that will make you shine because of A, B and C.'”
She adds, “So I’m still in the process of believing myself, but I’m getting there.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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Source: HIS Education