Journalist Gayle King shared that she interviewed Hayden Panettiere three months before her death. The American TV personality stated that the actress was struggling.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleScream franchise actress Hayden Panettiere was best known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville and more. The actress passed away at the age of 36 after she was found unresponsive at her house in Greenville, South Carolina. Now, American TV personality and broadcast journalist Gayle King revealed that the actress was struggling three months before her sudden death but claimed she is in a better place. Gayle recalled interviewing Hayden, who was clearly not in a good state.
Journalist Gayle King, according to a report by PEOPLE, revealed that Hayden Panettiere was in a better place but "clearly still struggling". The actress had come for a CBS Mornings interview back in May 2026 and stated that she felt she was in a good place. Gayle had shared:
"It was hard when she was here that day. When she was here in the studio that day, and I was talking to her off-camera, she was saying she felt that she was in a good place."
Hayden Panettiere had come before the release of her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. It was related to Hayden's personal life, and her fans had an unprecedented glimpse into her struggles with addiction and alcoholism.
King further continued that for Hayden, her daughter meant everything to her, and she gave up custody. For Hayden to give away her daughter to her ex-fiance and father of her child was one of the hardest things, but she thought that was what was best for her daughter. Hayden was a mom to an 11-year-old daughter named Kaya with her ex-fiance, Wladimir Klitschko. King further revealed:
"But she was still, clearly still struggling. To wake up to hear this news was really tough. She was so good. She would’ve turned 37."
In the interview, Hayden Panettiere told King that she was the "rawest version" of herself she had ever been. Hayden stated that she was moving past her struggles and wanted her fans not to be afraid of anything in life. Hayden had told King that she was "still working" on herself all the time. Hayden had admitted to being better and healthier than she had been in a long time.
Hayden Panettiere, back in a 2023 episode of Red Table Talk, had opened up about her first interaction with drugs. The actress revealed that at the age of 16, someone from her industry had introduced her to the same. Hayden recalled how she was told that the drug was a 'happy pill'. In her words:
“Somebody who was on my team that I was working with came to me, and it was before this red carpet, and I had been doing Heroes, and we did press all the time, and I was a little low-energy. They said, ‘Here, take one of these; it’s a happy pill; it’ll give you energy.’ I didn’t think of it at the time as a bad thing or a drug.”
Hayden Panettiere further continued that after taking the drug, she had little energy. However, she did not feel high and out of control, but she did feel happy. The actress was looking to do interviews. She confessed that those pills were just the beginning of her addiction issues.
Hayden Panettiere stated that she had no idea that doing drugs was not at all a good thing. She had no idea that soon she would become addicted to them. Adding to that, Hayden confessed that as she got older, drugs and alcohol became a daily part of her life.
Rest in peace, Hayden Panettiere.
Also Read: Hayden Panettiere Reportedly Suffered A Cardiac Arrest Due To Overdose, 911 Dispatch Call Reveals