Despite living on different continents, Panettiere insisted that she remained closely involved in Kaya’s life. She visited whenever possible and communicated regularly through FaceTime, describing their relationship as loving and emotionally close. By 2026, their bond had even produced humorous moments. Panettiere revealed that Kaya had begun calling her “Brittany” after Kaya and her friends discovered Bring It On: All or Nothing, in which Hayden played Brittany Allen. Those lighter moments contrasted sharply with earlier years, when the separation had been extremely painful. In 2022, Panettiere recalled learning that Kaya had asked other women whether she could call them “mommy,” something Hayden described as horrifying. Signing custody paperwork had also devastated her because she initially believed the arrangement might change once she became healthy again.
Panettiere later explained that postpartum depression had changed the direction of her life in ways she had never anticipated. She initially struggled to understand why she felt so unlike herself and eventually turned to alcohol in an attempt to cope, which only worsened the situation. Her difficulties expanded into struggles involving alcohol and opioids, leaving her deeply guilty about being unable to parent in the way she wanted. She was particularly hurt by headlines suggesting she had abandoned Kaya. Over time, however, Hayden reframed the situation: allowing Kaya to remain in the stable European life she already knew became, in her mind, an act of putting her daughter first. She also maintained a close relationship with Klitschko despite the end of their romance. The former couple agreed never to criticize each other in front of Kaya and tried to ensure their daughter understood that both parents continued to respect and care for one another.
In her final months, Panettiere returned repeatedly to motherhood while discussing her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. The book explored addiction, childhood fame, relationships, grief following the death of her younger brother Jansen and the complicated decisions surrounding Kaya. More than anything, Hayden wanted her daughter to eventually understand the circumstances behind those choices and know that physical distance never meant a lack of love. She described Kaya as happy, grounded and surrounded by people who cared deeply about her, even while admitting how much she wished they could have lived closer together. Following Panettiere’s death in August 2026, those reflections became an especially poignant part of what she left behind. Beneath years of headlines about custody was a mother who maintained that her decisions were ultimately guided by one difficult principle: however painful it might be for her personally, Kaya’s happiness and stability had to come first.
