Hayden Panettiere Debuts Dramatic Transformation Upon Return to Social Media

Hayden Panettiere returned to Twitter on Tuesday after a nearly 10-month-long absence, debuting a dramatic new haircut in her first post on the platform since February. The actress showed off her short silver pixie cut with a selfie, writing that she was channeling her character Kirby Reed from the 2011 horror film, Scream 4.

“Hayden was looking for a radical change, so last night we just went for it! It’s a modern version of a classic pixie style with a little more of an edge,” Panettiere’s hairstylist Leonard Zagami told E! News. “The color is silver, but not grey. She had previously been going with a super sexy blonde.”

“The cut was a collaborative idea,” he continued. “She has wanted to go short for a while but she has always had a commitment with her work and wasn’t able to. Right now, she is free and said, let’s do it!”

Prior to her hair transformation, Panettiere’s most recent Twitter post was a photo from a Duke University basketball game.

In August 2018, it was reported that Panettiere and husband Wladimir Klitschko had split after nine years together, and Panettiere was reported to be dating Brian Hickerson later that month. In May, Hickerson was arrested on a domestic violence charge and released on bail. He was charged with one count of felony domestic violence and pleaded not guilty. A judge issued a protective order that prevented him from coming within 100 yards of Panettiere, but the case and the order were dismissed in September.

“The case against Brian Hickerson was dismissed without prejudice today,” a spokesman for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “Our office was unable to proceed because we could not secure a material witness. The protective order also was dismissed.”

Panettiere and Hickerson appeared to have reconciled and were photographed together in November. They also spent Thanksgiving together, according to posts on social media.

A source told PEOPLE that some of the Nashville star’s family members still “don’t approve of the relationship.”

“They are not fans of Brian,” the source said. “It’s clear that he has issues of his own, not to mention the anger issues, which is obviously a big one.”

Panettiere’s attorney Andrew Brettler said, “Hayden is a strong, intelligent woman who is capable of making her own decisions”

Photo Credit: Getty / Amanda Edwards