Hayden Panettiere's Daughter Desperately Wants a Mother, Asks Other Women if She Can Call Them Mom

Hayden Panettiere Wladimir Klitschko Kaya Panettiere full custody alcohol abuse Opioids Abuse Kid Trauma

By Jo Anne Hubert , Parent Herald Oct 04, 07:53 pm

Photo: (Photo : Getty Imagez/Frazer Harrison)

Actress Hayden Panettiere shared about her only daughter, seven, allegedly going to random women and asking if she could call them "Mommy," and called it "horrifying."

Panettiere "let it all out" to hosts Jada Pinkett Smith and Adrienne Banfield Norris and guest host Kelly Osbourne in the latest episode of Red Table Talk. She spoke about how horrified she was to find out that her daughter, Kaya, who is currently in Ukraine under full custody of her ex-boyfriend Wladimir Klitschko, has been asking other women if she can call them "Mommy."

Worst, the father was just laughing it out, unable to recognize that their daughter was already going through a trauma, the Nashville star declared.

Trauma from a mother not being around

In an exclusive clip from the show, the 33-year-old actress narrated that one moment when her ex called her and said that their daughter was asking other women if she could call them mommy, and then he was laughing. Her "breath hitched, and her heart stopped."

"He thought this was funny, and it was horrifying to me. He didn't get it as to me who saw; that's a trauma reaction. That's a cry for help. I said immediately, 'Can I talk to my daughter?' And when I asked her about it, she went into 'goo goo gaga' speak-like, just talking gibberish. I never before ever heard her do that. It was a trauma that she was experiencing, me not being around," the mother said in a heartbreaking tone.

In the same clip shared with Today, Panettiere expressed her fear over what could happen to her daughter if they both continue to have this "little connection" with each other.

She continued to express that she has tried so much to explain how the child needs her mother, that the child is going through a trauma, and this trauma can negatively affect her as she grows older, which can turn into anger and depression. However, she can only continue to try until she is "blue in the face" when explaining to someone who does not understand or does not believe the consequences.

'The most heartbreaking thing'

In 2018, after her relationship ended with Klitschko, a former boxing champion now fighting for Ukraine in the war against Russia, the actress decided for him to be in full custody of Kaya, who was then three years old.

Panettiere said that signing the custody papers was the "most heartbreaking thing" she had ever done. And, yet, she knew she had to do it as she was battling alcohol and opioid addiction during that time.

She said that letting go of her daughter was the hardest thing for her. It made her incredibly guilty. Yet, it was the best thing for Kaya because she needed to ensure that she was okay as she cared for herself, healed, and became a good mom.

However, she revealed that she initially signed the custody papers under the stipulation that both parents would be sharing time with her. After Kaya did a routine visit with her once, she soon found out that Klitschko had moved her to Ukraine, a country where his family "holds a lot of notoriety and political power."