Hayden Panettiere spoke about having 'a lot more life to live' in interview months before her death
Hayden Panettiere said she 'could feel all the exciting possibilities to come' in one of her final interviews just months before her death.
The Nashville star appeared on the Jay Shetty podcast in May, in which she spoke about her memoir This is Me: A Reckoning, in which she opened up about her mental health struggles, addiction, abuse, and loss.
"I finally feel like I've shaken off all of this darkness and this negativity," Panettiere told Shetty towards the end of the interview.
"And that means I've closed one door and another door is opened, and I can feel it opened.
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"I can feel all the exciting possibilities. I feel like I have a lot more life to live," she concluded the emotional interview.
Shetty responded to the comments, saying: "I think you're one of the toughest and most vulnerable and bravest people who have sat in that chair.
"And I really notice, and and acknowledge how much work you've had to do to even be sitting here right now to share your story with this much grace and courage.
"So thank you for trusting me and for being here," Shetty continued, telling Panettiere he was 'looking forward' to people reading her book.
"I hope it reaches the people who really need it right now," he said.
"I pray," the 36-year-old responded. "I just wanted to help people. I want what I have gone through to have been for a reason. For everything to have happened for a reason. And for that reason to be to help people to go through whatever challenges their facing, and to know it's possible. It can be done."
Jay Shetty has since paid tribute to Panettiere, after news of her death broke.
Commenting on Variety's Instagram post announcing the star's death, the podcast host penned: “I can’t believe it. Our friendship had just begun and I was so moved by the conversation we shared earlier this year. My love and condolences to her family and fans."
In a statement announcing the star's death, Panettiere's father Skip told ABC News: "It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.
"She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her -- and to the millions who watched her onscreen.
Her father then asked for privacy as the family 'takes time to process this unimaginable loss.'
Elsewhere in the podcast, Panettiere opened about the heartbreaking loss of her brother Jansen, who passed away in 2023, due to complications with his heart.
"There's nothing in my life that feels like losing my other half. He was born to be the yin to my yang," she shared.
Panettiere said that the loss of her brother was 'something she doesn't think she'll ever get over'.
I feel him with me. I know that he's protecting me from where he is and was needed elsewhere, but I wish he could be sent back to me," the star emotionally told Shetty.
Topics: Mental Health, Podcast, Celebrity
Kiesha Dosanjh