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Hayden Panettiere’s memoir is out, and it’s full of harrowing tales.
But there’s more to her life than narrow escapes from creepy men or being flashed by Oscar-winners when she was a teenager.
She’s a mom now. Her tween daughter lives overseas.
Hayden is raising eyebrows, sharing the name that her kid used for her that took her a moment to understand.
‘She’s now 11 years old’
This week on CBS Mornings, Hayden spoke to Gayle King about her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya.
The first time that Kaya called her “Britney” during one of their frequent video calls, “it took me a second” to catch the reference, the actress shared.
“I realized she was talking about ‘Bring It On’ because her friends are fans of ‘Bring It On,’” Hayden explained.
Bring It On is a legendary film filled with stellar talent, including Hayden.
She revealed that Kaya wants her to video chat with her friends, quipping “I’m cool now!” (Many celebrity children do not really care about their parents’ work until they reach an age where peers find it exciting.)
Kaya lives in Ukraine with Wladimir Klitschko, her father — and Hayden’s former fiance.
In 2018, the actress relinquished custody in the hopes that this would give her daughter her best chance at happiness while Hayden herself worked on her own issues, including substance abuse.
“I fly over there as much as I can,” Hayden shared.
“I’m on FaceTime with her all the time,” she continued.
Hayden added: “She’s now 11 years old, and she’s calling Mommy more and more.”
‘Trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime’
In her new book, Hayden writes: “My daughter, Kaya, has lived with her dad, Wladimir Klitschko, since 2018.”
She expresses: “Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life.”
Hayden continues: “And it’s hard to describe the layers of emotion — including sadness, resentment, and anger — I’ve felt because of it.”
Mournfully, she shares: “I grieve that I’m not the mother I thought I’d be and definitely not the mother I want to be.”
Hayden affirms: “Trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime.”
“Although I miss Kaya so much my heart aches, I know how blessed I am to be her mom,” Hayden affirms.
“She is the greatest gift of my life, with all the best parts of her father and me,” she writes.
“And, today, I believe I have the opportunity to be a different kind of parent than most,” Hayden writes.
“She didn’t ask to be born into the limelight or my chaos,” the actress reasons, “and she didn’t get to choose her parents.
Hayden has kept much of her daughter’s life private because she believes that her child has a right to be normal. And she’s right. That’s an opportunity that she never got.
Hayden Panettiere Reveals What Tween Daughter Who Lives in Ukraine Calls Her was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.