Hayden Panettiere opens up about toxic side of child stardom

Hayden Panettiere has revealed the heartbreaking reason she struggled to separate love from success as a child star.

The 36-year-old actress admitted that she grew up believing praise meant affection.

She has opened up about her deeply complicated relationship with her mother, former actress Lesley Vogel, who managed her career and finances during her rise to fame.

Speaking while promoting her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Hayden admitted the constant approval she received in Hollywood made her feel “empowered and happy.”

but it also created an unhealthy emotional connection between achievement and love.

The former Heroes and Nashville star explained that her mother’s opinions became the most important thing in her world, leading her to “associate praise with love”.

She said the relationship eventually became far more business-like than maternal, claiming she often felt more like an employee than a daughter. 

The Scream actress revealed she became her mother’s “confidant”, “assistant” and even “therapist” during her younger years in the spotlight.

The blonde beauty, who shares daughter Kaya with former partner Wladimir Klitschko, admitted writing about her childhood was difficult because she did not want to hurt anyone. 

However, she felt she could not tell her story honestly without addressing her mother’s influence.

Hayden also claimed her mother appeared more invested in her career than in building a normal parent-child relationship.

After years of working together professionally, she finally made the difficult decision to cut business ties with her mother at the age of 19.

Recalling the emotional turning point, she said: “I don’t want us to work together anymore. I just want you to be my mum.”

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