Hayden Panettiere opens up about past secret addiction to opioids, alcohol: ‘I hit rock bottom’

foxnews.com:

Hayden Panettiere is opening up about how she spent years secretly battling addictions to opioids and alcohol. "I was on top of the world and I ruined it," the former "Nashville" star revealed for the first time in the new issue of People magazine. "I’d think I hit rock bottom, but then there’s that trap door that opens." The 32-year-old became a star when she was just 11 years old, appearing in soap operas and the 2000 sports drama "Remember the Titans" opposite Denzel Washington.

At age 15, the actress claimed someone from her team began offering her "happy pills" before she would walk the red carpets. "They were to make me peppy during interviews," Panettiere recalled. "I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what door that would open for me when it came to my addiction." Hayden Panettiere says she struggled with addiction and postpartum depression. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic) Panettiere noted that as her career skyrocketed, she was drinking and occasionally taking opioids. "… As I got older, the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn’t live without," she admitted.

In 2014, Panettiere took on the role of troubled country singer Juliette Barnes in "Nashville." Her real-life pregnancy was even written into the show, but behind closed doors, the star was struggling. "Those were really tough years," said Panettiere, adding that in 2014, she suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter Kaya, whom she shares with ex-fiance Wladimir Klitschko. "I could relate to a lot of those storylines like the alcoholism and postpartum depression.They hit close to home." Hayden Panettiere found fame as a child star in soap operas. (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via.