Hayden Panettiere Reveals She Is Bisexual and Has Dated Women

The 36-year-old Nashville actress is sharing a significant personal revelation ahead of her memoir's release. In interviews promoting her upcoming book "This Is Me: A Reckoning," set to arrive on May 12, Hayden Panettiere has disclosed that she is attracted to women.

Speaking with Us Weekly, the star reflected on why she had kept this aspect of her identity private for so long. "That's something about me I was never able to share with the world, because it was just never the right time. It was either I was too young, and I was being forced to be perfect at all times. I was not encouraged to just be myself," she explained. "Then came the period where it felt like people coming out, especially women, saying that they were bisexual or liked girls, was a fad. I was afraid that if I was honest, it was going to be like me jumping on the bandwagon. It was a very difficult topic to articulate properly. 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?"

When asked whether she had romantic experience with women, Panettiere confirmed she had. "Yeah, I did. It was scary, though, because there were paparazzi always waiting for me outside, to follow me everywhere. I had very little privacy. I have dated women. I was much more into women even as a child than I was men," she said. "I have explored it, but because I hadn't shared this with anybody, I didn't really have the courage to throw myself fully emotionally into it. Because then if I did fall in love, that wasn't something that I wanted to ever have to hide."

Regarding how she identifies, Panettiere was direct: "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."

Her past relationships have included engagements and dating connections with figures including boxer Wladimir Klitschko, actor Milo Ventimiglia, Steven Colletti, and Brian Hickerson.