During a May 2026 appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose Podcast, Panettiere addressed the criticism directly.
She added that the perception “couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Panettiere explained that after Kaya’s birth in December 2014, she struggled with postpartum depression, anxiety, alcoholism and substance abuse. Eventually, she sought treatment.
When Kaya was around two years old, her father, former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, became her primary caregiver in Europe.
Panettiere admitted she initially reacted like a “mother lion” and said she would have “burnt the world down” for her daughter.
However, after becoming healthier, her perspective gradually changed.
Kaya had already established a stable life in Europe, surrounded by relatives, friends, school activities and opportunities. Panettiere said removing her daughter from that environment simply because she wanted her closer would have felt selfish.
Their Long-Distance Relationship Remained Close
Panettiere emphasized that living on separate continents did not mean she had disappeared from Kaya’s life.
She said she visited whenever possible and regularly communicated with Kaya through FaceTime. Their conversations, according to Panettiere, often went beyond ordinary mother-daughter check-ins.
She was equally firm about one particular misconception.
By 2026, their relationship had even produced some lighter moments.
During an appearance on CBS Mornings, Panettiere revealed that Kaya had started calling her “Brittany,” referencing Brittany Allen, the character Panettiere played in Bring It On: All or Nothing.
Kaya’s friends had discovered the movie, and suddenly her famous mother had become cool.
Earlier Years Had Been Far More Painful
That playful nickname stood in contrast to something Panettiere described during a 2022 appearance on Red Table Talk.
She recalled hearing that Kaya had begun asking other women whether she could call them “mommy.”
Panettiere said she found the situation “horrifying” and feared it could reflect Kaya’s emotional response to their separation.
The custody arrangement itself remained one of the most painful memories of Panettiere’s life.
She said Kaya was already abroad when she fully understood how permanent the arrangement might become.
Signing the custody paperwork was devastating.
Panettiere initially believed that once she recovered, the situation might eventually change. Instead, as Kaya became increasingly settled in Europe, Hayden came to believe maintaining that stability was more important than fulfilling her own desire to have her daughter nearby.
Postpartum Depression Changed Everything
Panettiere later admitted she had been completely unprepared for postpartum depression.
At the time, she did not understand why she felt so unlike herself.
She later revealed that she turned to alcohol while attempting to cope, only to discover that it worsened her problems.
Her difficulties eventually expanded into broader struggles involving alcohol and opioids, subjects Panettiere discussed publicly while explaining how her health affected her ability to parent.
Years afterward, she described herself as having been “guilt ridden” because she felt incapable of being the mother she wanted to be.
One particularly painful memory involved seeing a magazine cover suggesting she had “given up” her child.
For Panettiere, accepting Kaya’s life in Europe eventually became an example of placing her daughter’s stability ahead of her own wishes.
Hayden and Wladimir Remained United as Parents
Although Panettiere and Klitschko ended their romantic relationship, she said they remained extremely close.
They sometimes spoke with Kaya together through video calls, and Panettiere described Klitschko as an exceptionally supportive father.
The former couple also established an important parenting rule: neither would speak negatively about the other in front of Kaya.
Panettiere said her own childhood experiences had taught her how painful it could be for a child to hear one parent criticize the other.
Instead, she wanted Kaya to understand that both parents respected and loved each other despite no longer being together.
The Message Hayden Wanted Kaya to Understand
Perhaps the most poignant part of Panettiere’s later reflections came while discussing her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, released in May 2026.
The book explored childhood fame, addiction, relationships, the death of her younger brother Jansen and her complicated experience of motherhood.
When asked how she felt about Kaya eventually reading those deeply personal chapters, Panettiere immediately focused on one concern.
She continued:
Panettiere repeatedly described Kaya as happy, emotionally grounded and surrounded by people who loved her. Although she admitted she always missed having her daughter nearby, she believed their bond had survived circumstances she once feared might permanently separate them.
Following Panettiere’s death at only 36, those words have become an especially significant part of the story she left behind.
Beyond the headlines surrounding custody and distance was a mother who repeatedly said that one principle guided the decisions she ultimately learned to accept: Kaya’s happiness and stability had to come before what Hayden herself wanted.