Here’s Why Hayden Panettiere’s 8-Year-Old Daughter Doesn't Live With Her

The Gist:

• Hayden Panettiere and Wladimir Klitschko welcomed daughter Kaya in December 2014.
• Following Kaya's birth, Hayden struggled with postpartum depression. She eventually developed an alcohol and opioid addiction.
• In order to focus on recovering, Hayden sent her daughter to go and live with her father.

After taking a four-year hiatus from acting, Hayden Panettiere returned to the big screens in March 2023 for Scream 6. The actress, who is mother to an 8-year-old daughter named Kaya, has dealt with a string of issues over the past few years, including substance abuse and postpartum depression.

Recognizing the need for healing and repair, Hayden opted to have her daughter go live with her father in Ukraine. Learn more about Hayden's daughter Kaya and where she is now.

Hayden first met Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2009 at a book launch party for their mutual acquaintance Diana Jenkins. They began dating soon after that. In May 2011, Hayden announced that the two had split, citing the struggles of long-distance dating as the root cause. However, in April 2013, Hayden confirmed that she was back together with Wladimir. They announced their engagement later that year.

On Dec. 9, 2014, Hayden gave birth to their daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko. Kaya was born in Hawaii and weighed 7 lbs., 14 oz. “I’m thrilled that I am having a girl first because I feel like I know a lot about raising a strong woman,” she told Hello! magazine shortly before Kaya was born. “I feel very empowered myself and I think my daughter will, too.”

In October 2015, Hayden stated that after Kaya’s birth, she had experienced postpartum depression. In October of that year, she voluntarily checked into a treatment facility in order to get help with her postpartum depression (via Us Weekly). In May 2016, she announced on Twitter that she was once again seeking treatment for postpartum depression, which she said had “impacted every aspect of [her] life.”

In 2018, Hayden and Wladimir broke up. Hayden’s mother, Lesley Vogel, told Radar Online at the time: “[I] think there are a lot of changes going on in her life. But I think they’re positive changes. And I think that she’s taking some time.” Lesley said that Hayden and Wladimir were on good terms despite their breakup.

E! News reported in August 2018 that, according to a source close to the family, “Kaya is primarily with her dad and his family in Europe and Florida. They also spend time together as a family with Hayden.” That seems to be the case — just a month before the couple’s split was announced, they had been seen vacationing together in Greece with Kaya in tow.

While rumors continue to circulate that Hayden doesn’t get to see Kaya very often, that doesn’t appear to be true. In 2020, Hayden’s lawyer told People that mom and daughter get to see each other “regularly,” and prior to her social media hiatus, Hayden had posted pictures of her spending time with Kaya.

It's unclear if Kaya is still in Ukraine, however, as Hayden said in July 2022 that while Kaya was still living abroad, the little girl was not in Ukraine because of the ongoing war with Russia.

In a March 2023 interview with Women's Health, Hayden also shared that her daughter doesn't know what her mother has gone through these past years but that she's "looking forward to the day where I get to have these conversations with her."

She added, “I’m grateful that I’m equipped with the information and with the experience that I’ve had with postpartum depression.”

We’re sure that living far apart from Kaya isn’t easy for Hayden, but we applaud her and Wladimir’s efforts as they tackle co-parenting.