Hayden Panettiere Opens Up in Heartfelt First Interview About the Sudden Loss of Her Brother: ‘I’ll Be Heartbroken Forever’ (Exclusive)
September 19, 2024
By M Muzamil Shami
The actress was on a path to healing—sober, single, and returning to her career—when tragedy struck with the sudden death of her younger brother. Here's how she's coping with the profound loss and trauma.
2023 was expected to be a turning point for Hayden Panettiere.
Known for her role in Amber Alert, the actress had been battling substance abuse for years but was finally sober after completing a stint in rehab in 2020. She had also ended an abusive, on-and-off relationship with her former partner and was excited to return to work with a role in Scream 6. Everything seemed to be looking up.
But just three weeks before the movie's premiere in February 2023, Panettiere was hit with an unimaginable blow: her younger brother Jansen died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart condition at the age of 28. The tragedy shattered her world.
“He was my only sibling, and it was my job to take care of him,” Panettiere shared in an emotional interview with PEOPLE for their cover story. “When I lost him, it felt like I lost a part of myself.”
RELATED: How Hayden Panettiere Is Healing from Pressures of Child Stardom as She Manages Sobriety, Mental Health (Exclusive)
At 35, Panettiere found herself sinking into grief. She didn’t want to leave her house, especially with the media attention that followed the loss. The paparazzi hounded her, even capturing images of her leaving Jansen’s funeral, held in a private location. The invasion of her privacy intensified her struggles with agoraphobia, a condition she had faced in the past.
“To see those pictures was shocking,” she explains. “It triggered my agoraphobia again, and I just didn’t want to go outside.”
Adding to her emotional distress, her body responded to the trauma in a way that made her feel disconnected from herself. She experienced rapid weight gain, which further impacted her self-esteem. “I just ballooned,” Panettiere said, attributing the changes to the stress her body endured. The combination of emotional pain and physical changes created a cycle of self-doubt.
“I didn’t want to put on clothes, didn’t feel confident enough to face the world,” she recalls. “But I knew I had to get out and move, or I would never get out of that dark place.”
Determined to reclaim her life, Panettiere found strength with the help of her publicist, who introduced her to personal trainer Marnie Alton. Their bond formed quickly, and soon Panettiere was taking slow but steady steps toward healing, both physically and emotionally. The long walks they took together became a form of therapy, allowing Panettiere to open up and process her grief.
“These walks turned into beautiful therapy sessions,” she says. “Marnie empowered me in a way I hadn’t expected.” The physical activity and emotional release lifted her spirits, and the endorphins from working out helped her overcome some of the emotional weight she was carrying.
“My body started reacting—not just to the workouts but to the stress I was finally releasing,” Panettiere shares. As her insecurities began to fade, so did her agoraphobia. “There’s nothing like looking in the mirror and feeling confident enough to step outside again.”
While Panettiere is still navigating her grief, she has gained a new perspective on life. “When something this devastating happens, you realize what really matters,” she says. “You don’t let the small things bother you because you’ve already faced something so life-altering.”
Though she’s looking ahead to the release of her upcoming film Amber Alert (in theaters Sept. 27), her focus remains on healing and finding peace. “I’m just thankful that every day, I feel a little more like myself,” she says. But the trauma of losing her brother is something she’ll carry forever.
“I will always be heartbroken over Jansen’s death,” Panettiere reflects. “No matter how much time passes, I’ll never fully recover from the loss of my brother.”
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