Hayden Panettiere slams claims she 'abandoned' 11-year-old daughter while dealing with addiction

Hayden Panettiere has insisted that reports that her daughter was 'abandoned' by her isn't true as she opened up on her relationship with the 11-year-old.

Panettiere is mom to Kaya, whom she shares with ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko. The couple first started dating in 2009 and briefly split in 2011.

They went on to rekindle their romance and got engaged in 2013. 12 months later they welcomed their daughter.

But the celebrity couple never made it down the aisle and called things quits for good in 2018, per PEOPLE.

After their break up, Klitschko moved back to his native country of Ukraine – taking their then two-year-old daughter with him after being granted full custody of her following Panettiere's battles with opioid and alcohol addiction.

The Nashville star is now thought to have been sober for around five years.

Hayden Panettiere was engaged to Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko (Luca Teuchmann/Getty Images)

Kaya has since grown up in the European country, which her mom visits frequently.

Panettiere has opened up about relinquishing custody of her daughter previously and called the moment Klitschko asked for Kaya to move to Ukraine as 'heartbreaking'.

Now the 36-year-old has given an update on her relationship with her 11-year-old child and hit back at people's claims that she was fine with her daughter moving away.

Speaking to Jay Shetty on a new episode of his On Purpose podcast, the Bring It On: All or Nothing favorite said: "The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking."

"It couldn’t be further from the truth," Panettiere went on.

She also recalled that she 'did not have a good reaction' to her ex-fiancé asking for full custody of Kaya. The mom-of-one shared: "I went like mother lion. I would’ve burnt the world down for my child. So that was incredibly difficult."

But Kaya went on to build a 'beautiful life' with her father in Ukraine, meaning that when Panettiere got healthy again she felt it would have been 'unfair' to drag the youngster away from that.

"I know in my heart that she feels supported," the Heroes actress went on to say of her relationship with Kaya, adding: "I have an incredible relationship with her. I go to travel as much as I can to see her. I do spend a lot of time on FaceTime with her."

Panettiere further insisted: "In no way [does] she feel abandoned.”

She also spoke of still having a 'very close' relationship with Klitschko and said that they 'talk all the time'.

If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs and alcohol, you can call American Addiction Centers on (313) 209-9137 24/7, or contact them through their website.