In 2014, Hayden Panettiere gave birth to a daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko – the only child from her relationship with Ukrainian national and heavyweight champion boxer Wladimir Klitschko. Panettiere and Klitschko ended their nine-year relationship in 2018, and their daughter now lives with her father where they resided in Ukraine until the February 2022 Russian invasion. The actress still maintains a good relationship with her daughter and shares co-parenting responsibility with Klitschko, but all parties decided it was best for the 7-year-old to spend some time with her father.
After giving birth, Panettiere suffered from severe postpartum depression and decided to take her struggles public. In 2015, People Magazine reported that Panettiere had checked herself into a postpartum treatment facility as she still experienced symptoms 10 months after giving birth.
According to the CDC, one in 10 U.S. women experience postpartum symptoms each year. Although many suffer in silence, the condition is both common and treatable. By sharing her own struggles, Panettiere wanted to de-stigmatize the condition for others. While opening up about her postpartum depression, Panettiere told “Good Morning America,” “…You know, women are so resilient and that’s the incredible thing about them. And I think I’m all the stronger for it. I think I’m a better mom for it because you never take that connection for granted.”