Inside Hayden Panettiere's Dating History, from Stephen Colletti to Wladimir Klitschko

The 'Nashville' actress shares a daughter with ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko

NEED TO KNOW

• Hayden Panettiere’s first publicized relationship was with Laguna Beach‘s Stephen Colletti
• She dated her Heroes costar, Milo Ventimiglia, from 2007 to 2009
• Panettiere was engaged to Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she shares a daughter

Hayden Panettiere has been in the public eye for decades — and so have her relationships.

In May 2026, Panettiere opened up the book on her life — literally — in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. In it, the actress and singer reflected on her relationship history, including her on-again, off-again romance with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

The two welcomed their daughter, Kaya, in December 2014, but split in 2018. After, Kaya lived primarily with Klitschko as Panettiere sought treatment after a years-long struggle with alcoholism. In 2020, she entered treatment for an eight-month stay. Kaya continues to live with Klitschko today.

“I grieve that I’m not the mother I thought I’d be and definitely not the mother I want to be,” the actress wrote in her memoir. “Trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime, and although I miss Kaya so much my heart aches, I know how blessed I am to be her mom."

Here's everything to know about Hayden Panettiere's dating history.

Stephen Colletti

Panettiere and Stephen Colletti dated for nearly two years from 2006 to the end of 2007.

The actress was in a relationship with Colletti while Heroes was making her a worldwide star. The two went their separate ways at the end of 2007.

Milo Ventimiglia

Panettiere dated her Heroes costar, Milo Ventimiglia, from 2007 to 2009.

In her memoir, Panettiere reflected on the romance, which began shortly after she turned 18.

“I’d had a little crush on Milo since the show started, but we were friends and nothing more. Milo was thirty and I had just turned eighteen," she wrote. The two met while working on the series, but their professional relationship turned romantic while the cast was on a European press tour.

"However something was in the air in Europe," Panettiere continued. "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."

In a May 2026 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Panettiere spoke about the age gap between her and Ventimiglia.

"I was working with him all the time. My family knew him well," she recalled. "At 18, I lived so much life that he almost couldn't count me as being 18. So Milo and I, even though he was 30, had a lot more in common than people might think.”

The couple called it quits in 2009, per Entertainment Weekly.

Wladimir Klitschko

Panettiere met Klitschko, a Ukrainian boxer, at a party in 2008. They would end up dating on and off for nine years.

The Nashville alum and Klitschko began dating sometime in 2009 and broke up for the first time in 2011.

​​"Even though we've decided splitting up is best for both of us, we have an amazing amount of love and respect for each other and remain very close friends," Panettiere said at the time.

After their split, Panettiere dated football player Scotty McKnight, but in February 2013, she was spotted having lunch with Klitschko. In October of that year, Panettiere confirmed she and Klitschko were engaged.

In December 2014, the couple welcomed their daughter, Kaya. But in August 2018, Panettiere and Klitschko went their separate ways.

Scotty McKnight

Following her first split from Klitschko, Panettiere dated New York Jets wide receiver McKnight.

The couple started dating in 2011, but broke it off by the end of 2012.

Brian Hickerson

In 2018, Panettiere began a turbulent romance with aspiring actor Brian Hickerson.

In May 2019, Hickerson was charged with domestic violence, with prosecutors alleging that Hickerson “willfully inflicted corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition upon Hayden P.” The charges were later dropped.

In July 2020, Hickerson was arrested on domestic violence charges, including four felony charges of corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant, a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon, a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor charge of battery on a spouse/cohabitant. Additionally, Hickerson was charged with dissuading a witness, "Hayden P.," from prosecuting a crime.

Panettiere addressed the alleged abuse in a statement at the time.

"I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me with the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve," she said. "I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again. I’m grateful for my support system, which helped me find the courage to regain my voice and my life."

In April 2021, Hickerson was sentenced to 45 days in jail after he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse/cohabitant/girlfriend/child's parent. In addition to jail time, Hickerson was sentenced to four years of formal probation, 52 domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution and a five-year protective order.

In March 2022, the couple made headlines again when they were involved in a fight outside of a Los Angeles bar. "It was not my best behavior, it was not anyone's best behavior," she later told PEOPLE in July 2022 about the altercation.

"None of it is OK, and I want to make sure that everybody knows that," she added about Hickerson's behavior.

Per Page Six, the couple broke up in 2022, but they would later reconnect as friends.

"I think [Hickerson] has done his time and was willing to get help," Panettiere told PEOPLE. "I think about the things I have done in my life that people forgave me for. Making amends is a really important thing that you learn in treatment. And it gives you a lot of inner peace."

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