‘Heroes’ And ‘Nashville’ Star Hayden Panettiere Comes Out As Bisexual

American actor Hayden Panettiere has publicly come out as bisexual for the first time, sharing details about her sexuality ahead of the release of her forthcoming memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.

Speaking with Us Weekly, the 36-year-old said writing the memoir encouraged her to be “completely brutally honest” about her life, including experiences she had previously kept private, such as her sexuality. Panettiere said, “Yes, I am bisexual,” adding that it was “sad I had to wait until I was 36 years old to share that part of me, but better late than never.”

Panettiere, known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, said she had been attracted to women since childhood but felt unable to speak openly due to pressures associated with growing up in the public eye. Panettiere got her start as a child actor on soap operas such as One Life to Live and Guiding Light.

“No one ever encouraged me to just be myself, and then it came, the period of time, where it felt like people coming out, especially women coming out, and saying that they were bisexual, or liked girls, was a fad,” Panettiere added, noting she was “afraid” that she’d appear like she was “jumping on the bandwagon” if she were to come out as bisexual.

“And once again, it was always the fear of not being perfect, and what my team was going to think about it, what the public’s opinion was going to be about it,” Panettiere explained. “It was just never the right time, and it was a very difficult topic to articulate properly…”

According to excerpts published from the memoir, Panettiere said she had dated women privately but avoided becoming emotionally attached because of concerns about media scrutiny and public perception.

“It was always scary, because my life, I mean, there were paparazzi always outside, waiting for me outside, to follow me everywhere,” she added. “I had very little privacy, and I mean, I have dated women. It started at a very, very young age.”

The memoir also addresses other aspects of Panettiere’s personal life, including struggles with addiction, postpartum depression, grief following the death of her brother Jansen Panettiere, and experiences of domestic abuse in a previous relationship.