Hayden Panettiere was allegedly back with her ex, Brian Hickerson, before her death. However, it seems like her friends were not 100 per cent sure about their rekindled romance.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleHayden Panettiere passed away at the age of 36. The Nashville-fame actress died just days before her 37th birthday on August 21, 2026. The news of her demise has left all her fans heartbroken. Amid that, reports have gone rife that the actress's friends were not too happy about the actress rekindling her romance with Brian Hickerson.
According to a report by Us Weekly, a source close to Hayden Panettiere revealed that her friends were worried about the actress after she reconnected with her abusive ex Brian Hickerson. The source revealed that they were concerned that being with Brian would lead her back down the dark path she had worked so hard to recover from. They said:
"Hayden seemed to be doing well [recently], but there was still concern among her friends and inner circle. Especially because she started spending time with Brian again. That relationship and association had led her down a dark path in the past, so her friends and inner circle were worried for her. There were concerns, and her friends really hoped she was doing OK."
For the unversed, Hayden Panettiere had been through a roller coaster during her relationship with Brian Hickerson. Things got so bad between them that the actress even filed several domestic violence allegations against Brian, one of which landed him in jail in 2021. The actress passed away after being found unresponsive on Sunday, August 16, 2026. The news of her passing was confirmed by her father, Skip Panettiere.
According to a report by TMZ, a source revealed that the couple didn't break up as many times as the public was led to believe. In fact, they had rekindled their romance before her death. The source alleged that Hayden Panettiere's team had asked her to distance herself from Brian Hickerson at least publicly for the sake of her career. Hayden's camp allegedly felt Brian was "bad for business" while she was promoting her book.
The report further cited that this was due to Brian and Hayden's complicated history. Her team alleged that it could harm her book tour. However, despite the team's suggestion, the couple was allegedly still in constant communication during the promotional tour. It was also reported that Brian Hickerson was allegedly with the actress before she passed away and was even spotted at the apartment complex after her death. Reports have also cited that the apartment was being leased by Brian and his brother.
For the unversed, Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson were first linked in 2018. However, one year later, in 2019, he was arrested for an alleged domestic violence incident against the former child star. He was charged with felony domestic violence and was ordered to stay away from Hayden. Those charges were eventually dropped, and the couple continued their relationship.
However, things didn't stay calm between them. Brian was arrested again in 2020 for another domestic violence incident involving Hayden, for which he served 45 days in prison. Following his 2021 release, he was placed on four years of probation and ordered to pay a USD 500 fine. Hayden has opened up about the incident in a conversation with Us Weekly in May 2026 and said:
"It was brutal. It was traumatic. It was emotional. I needed to believe that it happened for a reason. For something so horrible to happen, the only thing that I could think of to make it all worth it was [to] let people know that they're not alone and help people."
What are your thoughts on Hayden Panettiere's fans being worried about her relationship with Brian Hickerson? Let us know.
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