Hayden Panettiere States She Is Bisexual in Memoir

Actress Hayden Panettiere has publicly come out as bisexual at age 36, stating it is the first time she has said the words out loud. " She described waiting until now because earlier in her career it never felt like the right time. "That’s something about me I was never able to share with the world, because it was just never the right time," Panettiere told the outlet.

"It was either I was too young, and I was being forced to be perfect at all times. " She added that she realized her attraction to women during a period when coming out as bisexual, particularly for women, was perceived as a fad. Panettiere said she worried that being honest would make it seem as if she were joining a trend.

"I was afraid that if I was honest, it was going to be like me jumping on the bandwagon," she continued. "It was a very difficult topic to articulate properly. She has previously been in high-profile relationships with male partners, including co-stars from her early television work.

The actress told Us Weekly she was much more drawn to women than men even as a child but did not pursue those feelings openly. Fame brought constant paparazzi presence that left her with little privacy, she said, making it difficult to explore those relationships fully.

"It was scary, though, because there were paparazzi always waiting for me outside, to follow me everywhere. I had very little privacy," Panettiere explained. "I have dated women. " She added that she avoided falling in love with a woman because she did not want to hide such a relationship.

With the memoir's publication, Panettiere said she now feels ready to speak openly. "Now that I know that this book is coming out, and that I’ve chosen to share it with the world, I’m comfortable to confidently say that yes, I am bisexual. I said it!

This is the first time I got to say it out loud," she stated.

The forthcoming book delves into Panettiere's experiences with postpartum depression, substance dependency and the challenges of balancing public life with personal recovery. It follows years in which she stepped back from the spotlight to address those issues.

Panettiere has described the decision to prioritize her well-being and parenting responsibilities as difficult but necessary. The memoir is positioned as a reckoning with those chapters of her life.

“It’s sad I had to wait until I was 36 years old to share that part of me, but better late than never, right?”

The announcement arrives as Panettiere prepares for the book's release on May 12. She has not detailed specific future relationships but indicated the public disclosure removes a long-held barrier to living authentically.

Throughout her career, Panettiere's personal life drew significant media attention, including relationships that played out publicly. She noted that the lack of privacy contributed to her hesitation in discussing her sexuality sooner. In the interview, she emphasized that her attraction to women predated her fame but remained private due to external pressures and internal caution.

The memoir offers a fuller account of how those pressures shaped her decisions over more than two decades in entertainment. The 36-year-old actress framed the coming-out as both overdue and liberating, marking a shift from the image of perfection she felt compelled to project as a child star.