Hayden Panettiere had emotional reason for why she gave Wladimir Klitschko custody of their daughter

US actress Hayden Panettiere, the star of shows Heroes and Nashville, passed away on Sunday (August 16) at the age of 36 in South California.

The news was first reported on US network ABC News on Monday (August 17), with no cause of death given, at the time of writing.

Panettiere and Wladimir Klitschko shared a public relationship, as the US actress was ringside for Klitschko's knockout victory over Samuel Peter on September 11, 2010, but she would later announce their split in May 2011, with the pair expressing the long-distance nature of the relationship leading to this; however, they would remain friends.

The actress would confirm that the pair had rekindled their relationship in an interview in April 2013, before announcing their engagement in October 2013, and by December the next year, Panettiere would give birth to their daughter.

Klitschko and Panettiere would once again split in 2018, with the actress relinquishing full custody of her daughter Kaya, explaining this decision to parenting outlet Mome for its July cover, with her battle against her substance addiction issues being a reason.

She said: "It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make. I was going through a really challenging time in my life… I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mum she needed me to be.”

Wladimir Klitschko and ex-partner Hayden Panettiere pictured in 2011 (Image: Getty)

In a 2015 appearance on Live! With Kelly and Michael, Panettiere explained her experience of postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter.

She would also explain this experience in her interview with Mome, but she would also delve into her dependency on alcohol. Panettiere said: “I turned to wine, which ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency. It was how I would get through each day."

As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Panettiere spoke six years on after giving up custody of her daughter about their relationship, as she said: “I love my daughter, and I’m so proud of the young woman she is becoming. I talk to her all the time, and I feel so connected to her. She’s like a mini-me."

However, Panettiere described the difficulty she was experiencing from this decision in her memoir, ‘This Is Me: A Reckoning’, which was released earlier this year.

She wrote: “Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, and it’s hard to describe the layers of emotion – including sadness, resentment, and anger – I’ve felt because of it.”