rewrite this title Who is Wladimir Klitschko? Details about Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend explored after Scream actress comes out as bisexual

Hayden Panettiere publicly revealed that she is bisexual in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly published on May 6, 2026, while discussing her upcoming memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning.

The actress said she had dated women in the past. Still, she waited until now to openly discuss her sexuality because she previously felt pressure to appear “perfect” in the public eye. She told the outlet,

“I’m comfortable to confidently say that, yes, I am bisexual. I said it!”

Following the interview, renewed attention has turned toward the actress’s past relationships, particularly her nearly decade-long on-and-off romance with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.

The former heavyweight boxing champion and Ukrainian activist shares an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, with Hayden Panettiere, and the pair have remained closely connected years after their 2018 split.

Hayden Panettiere and Wladimir Klitschko’s relationship timeline

Hayden Panettiere and Wladimir Klitschko first met at a mutual friend’s party in 2008. Recalling the moment during a 2013 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Panettiere joked that she greeted the boxer by saying, “You’re huge,” to which he responded, “You’re tiny.” Although she was still in another relationship at the time, the pair later began dating in 2009.

Their relationship lasted on and off for nearly nine years. PEOPLE reported on February 7, 2024, that the couple briefly split in 2011 but remained on good terms. At the time, Hayden Panettiere said they still had “an amazing amount of love and respect for each other,” while Wladimir Klitschko acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining a relationship “between two continents.”

The pair reunited in 2013 and confirmed their engagement later that year after Panettiere appeared publicly wearing an engagement ring. During an interview on Live! With Kelly and Michael, she confirmed the engagement by saying, “I am,” after being asked directly whether she and Klitschko planned to marry.

The couple later purchased a home in Nashville while Hayden Panettiere starred on the ABC series Nashville. PEOPLE noted that Panettiere praised the sense of “normalcy” she found living in Tennessee alongside Klitschko. Wedding plans were eventually paused because of political instability in Ukraine, and the couple instead focused on starting a family.

Their daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, was born on December 9, 2014. Panettiere later spoke openly about struggling with postpartum depression following the birth. Despite periods where the couple appeared united publicly, their relationship ultimately deteriorated, and they officially split in 2018.

Although Panettiere and Klitschko ended their engagement in 2018, both have repeatedly emphasized that they remain close friends and committed co-parents. In an interview published by E! Online on May 6, 2026, Panettiere said she continues to have “an incredible relationship” with both Klitschko and their daughter.

Hayden Panettiere’s recent Us Weekly interview marked the first time she publicly identified herself as bisexual. She explained that while writing her memoir, she decided she wanted to openly discuss her past relationships with women and her long-standing fears about sharing that part of her identity publicly.

“It was always the fear of not being perfect,” she said, adding that she worried about how both the public and her professional team would react if she came out earlier in her career. Panettiere also revealed that she began exploring relationships with women “at a very, very young age,” though she often felt too afraid to fully embrace that side of herself publicly.

The actress said the memoir allowed her to tell her story in her own words after years of silence. This Is Me: A Reckoning is scheduled for release on May 19, 2026.

Edited by Devangee Halder