Hayden Panettiere Suffered Liver Damage as Result of Her Alcoholism

Hayden Panettiere opened up about her struggle with alcoholism during her days in the hit drama Nashville. In a new interview, the former Heroes star said she suffered liver damage and needed to see a specialist when she hit 30. She went to rehab for the first time while filming Nashville Season 4 in 2015.

Panettiere, 33, said she started drinking in her early 20s as a way to handle the stress she faced while filming Nashville. “I was being told how to be and how to live by so many people in my life. I wanted certain decisions to be my own, and no one could stop me,” she told Women’s Health in March. She compared what she put her body through to an “act of defiance.”

Panettiere wished working out was her coping mechanism. “Alcohol might make you feel better in that moment, but it makes you feel so much worse the next day, and then you do it all over again,” she said.

After she gave birth to her daughter, Kaya, 8, in 2014, Panettiere faced postpartum depression. An old neck injury also flared up, so she started taking opioid painkillers. The antidepressants and painkillers didn’t mix well with alcohol and she “wasn’t ready to stop drinking.”

In the middle of working on Nashville Season 4, Panettiere checked into rehab. She felt she was “drowning,” and the pain her onscreen character was going through didn’t help. Her character was going through postpartum depression, abandoned her child, and fled the country. “It was very difficult to go on set and to act out these feelings about these things that I was truly going through in my real life,” she told Women’s Health.

After Nashville ended in 2018, Panettiere left the industry. She only recently made a comeback to reprise her Scream 4 role as Kirby Reed in Scream (2022) and Scream VI earlier this year. However, that comeback only came after Panettiere sought more help to improve her health. She continued drinking even after leaving Hollywood and struggled with sleep deprivation.

“I hit 30. My face was swollen. I had jaundice,” Panettiere said. “My eyes were yellow. I had to go to a liver specialist. I was holding on to weight that wasn’t normally there. My hair was thin and coming out in clumps.”

Two years ago, Panettiere sought treatment again and signed up for a 12-step program. She also underwent eight months of “intensive” therapy. Her November 2022 breast reduction procedure was also a key component in her journey to improve her well-being. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with someone who wants to tweak something if it makes them feel more confident,” she said. “That’s all I have to say about it. My confidence is back.”

A major aspect of Panettiere’s therapy was learning to live in forgiveness, she said. “A step in the 12-step program is making amends,” she added. “If someone wants to be a good person and to be the best version of themselves, they can choose to do that.”

Panettiere talked about her struggles with addiction in multiple interviews, and she hopes that sharing her story will help others see they aren’t the only ones. “A lot of people feel stuck,” she told Women’s Health. “I want to let them know they’re not alone.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call the National Drug Helpline at (844) 289-0879.