Hayden Panettiere was a rising star in the mid-aughts, when she became famous on "Heroes," which had the catchy tagline "Save the cheerleader and save the world."
However, the fans of Panettiere didn't know that Claire Bennett, the cheerleader for the film, actually needed assistance offscreen.
Panettiere, 32 years old, has a new interview in which she opens up about her struggle with addiction. This was before she made red carpet appearances at 15 and was first offered "happy pills".
In a People magazine cover story, Panettiere said that "they were to make me happy during interviews." "I didn't know that this was inappropriate or that it would lead to me becoming addicted.
She didn't know how she would manage to deal with the growing opioid and alcohol problem.
Panettiere stated, "My saving grace was that I couldn’t be messy while working and on set." "But things got out of control [off-set]. As I grew older, I found that I couldn't live with the use of alcohol and drugs.
She felt that she saw parallels between her troubled character, and herself, when she was made one of the most prominent ladies on the prime-time show "Nashville", which is country-music-themed.
Panettiere said, "Those were really difficult years." She, along with Juliette Barnes, also suffered from postpartum Depression after her daughter's birth in 2014. "I could relate with a lot those storylines, such as the alcoholism or postpartum depression. They were very close to my heart.
She was sober throughout her pregnancy with Kaya, her daughter with ex-partner Wladimir Klotschko. But, things changed after she gave birth.
She said, "There was only this gray color in me life."
She had to drink alcohol throughout the day to keep her from getting too drunk.
People reported that Panettiere said, "I was at the top of the world, and I ruined it." "I thought I had reached rock bottom, but then the trap door opens."
After being warned by doctors that her liver would "give out" if she did not change her ways, she entered rehab for eight months to break the cycle.
Panettiere stated, "This wasn't an easy task and there were many ups and downs."
She has no regrets.
