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.