The actress, 36, looks back on falling for former 'Heroes' costar Milo Ventimiglia during the show’s whirlwind press tour in her new memoir, 'This Is Me: A Reckoning'
Credit: John Shearer/WireImage
NEED TO KNOW
- Hayden Panettiere says sparks first flew with Milo Ventimiglia during a whirlwind international press tour for Heroes
- Panettiere recalls how intense public scrutiny over their 12-year age gap put pressure on the relationship
- The actress shares the conversation she says ultimately led to the couple’s breakup in her memoir, ‘This Is Me: A Reckoning’
Hayden Panettiere is choosing to shed light on her past relationship with former Heroes costar Milo Ventimiglia in her new memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, recalling the whirlwind romance that began shortly after she turned 18.
The actress, 36, writes that sparks first flew while the cast was traveling internationally to promote the hit NBC series ahead of its second season.
At the time, Panettiere had just turned 18, while Ventimiglia was 30.
The European press tour included Ventimiglia, Jack Coleman and Adrian Pasdar as the cast traveled through cities including London, Munich and Paris amid what Panettiere describes as a frenzy of fan attention.
Credit: Jeff Vespa/WireImage
“I’d had a little crush on Milo since the show started, but we were friends and nothing more,” she writes. “Milo was thirty and I had just turned eighteen.”
“However something was in the air in Europe,” she continues. “Maybe it was the sights or the food or the fact that everyone fell all over us, but I felt dizzy with joy, and it seemed so did Milo.”
“Over the course of the world tour, our friendship turned to flirtation, and, just like that, we became a thing.”
Panettiere says the pair dated for nearly two years, though their relationship was scrutinized because of their 12-year age gap.
“The press scrutiny around our age difference had been relentless,” she writes, adding that Ventimiglia’s private nature made the attention especially difficult for him.
Still, Panettiere says the relationship itself felt stable at the time and recalls feeling comforted by the support of her family.
The actress also recalls one pivotal moment late in 2008 that ultimately contributed to the couple’s breakup.
During a party they attended together, Panettiere says an NBC executive, who she gave the alias John in her book, greeted her with what she viewed as an innocent kiss on the lips.
“I decided to tell Milo what had happened when we left the party and were in his car,” she writes, explaining that she initially laughed the interaction off.
“Not an air kiss or a cheek kiss. His lips touched mine!” she recalled saying.
Credit: Grand Central Publishing
Ventimiglia, however, did not find the story amusing.
“Next time I see John, I’m going to say something to him,” she recalls him telling her. “That was completely inappropriate.”
Though Panettiere insisted the interaction “was not a big deal,” she says the conversation appeared to shift something in their relationship.
Days later, Ventimiglia told her, “We need to talk.”
Though she says he briefly reconsidered ending the relationship, Panettiere recalls that the pair officially split about a week later while she was at home wearing what she described as her “penguin pajamas.”
“We can definitely still be friends,” she recalls Ventimiglia telling her.
After Ventimiglia left, the actress says she spent the following day devastated in bed before a friend unexpectedly arrived with an invitation to join a last-minute trip to New York City.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“In the blink of an eye, my delicate adolescent heart mended, and Milo became a distant memory,” she writes. “Ah, youth!”
Earlier this week, Panettiere also reflected on the relationship during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“I was working with him all the time. My family knew him well,” she said. “Even though he was 30, [we] had a lot more in common than people might think.”
This is Me: A Reckoning is available May 19 wherever books are sold.
Read the full article here
