Hayden Panettiere has never been one to shy away from living her life in the spotlight, and her romantic history is a testament to that. From high-profile relationships with co-stars to a harrowing, abusive romance that she’s only now fully detailing, the Heroes and Nashville actress has a past filled with both love and pain. Now, at 36, she is using her upcoming memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, to reclaim her narrative, publicly coming out as bisexual and shedding light on the parts of her past she once kept hidden.
Her journey through love has been as dramatic as any script, involving a significant age-gap romance, an on-and-off decade-long engagement to a world-famous athlete, and a traumatic relationship that led to multiple arrests. As of 2026, much of the public conversation is focused on these past partnerships, as Panettiere promotes her memoir and embraces her identity without fear. While she details her past, many are curious about the question on everyone’s mind: who is Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend in 2026?
A Timeline of Public Relationships and a Troubling Pattern
Panettiere’s list of ex-boyfriends reads like a list of early 2000s heartthrobs and sports icons. Her first major public relationship was with Stephen Colletti of Laguna Beach fame, who she has credited with helping her navigate the stress of early paparazzi attention. She then moved on to a more controversial romance with her Heroes co-star, Milo Ventimiglia. The pair, who dated from 2007 to 2009, had a 12-year age gap, with Panettiere later admitting it was a “point of contention” that caused her significant discomfort.
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After Ventimiglia, Panettiere began a long, complicated relationship with Ukrainian boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko. Their romance was a rollercoaster, spanning from 2009 to 2018 with several breakups along the way. They became engaged in 2013 and welcomed a daughter, Kaya, in 2014. However, it was her next relationship that would become her most devastating. Shortly after splitting from Klitschko for good, Panettiere began dating Brian Hickerson in 2018.
Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend Brian Hickerson was arrested for domestic violence, @TMZ reports. pic.twitter.com/kpvab2o7qm
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 3, 2019
What followed was four years of on-and-off dating that she describes as “brutal” and “traumatic”. Hickerson was arrested multiple times on domestic violence charges, and Panettiere has since spoken about the cycle of abuse, comparing his ability to re-enter her life to “pulling out a deep, intricate weed” that keeps growing back.
Hayden Panettiere’s Boyfriend in 2026
As for who holds the title of Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend in 2026, it appears the actress is currently focused on herself and her career. There is no confirmed report of her dating anyone new this year. Instead, recent headlines have been dominated by her emotional revelations regarding her past. A source confirmed that while she has been seen with ex Brian Hickerson as recently as 2026, they are “not together as a couple right now”.
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Her recent public appearances and interviews have been centered around promoting her upcoming memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, which is expected to drop more bombshells about her experiences. Furthermore, she has been open about her “bisexuality”, revealing for the first time that has dated women privately for years. With no new romantic partner on the scene, it seems that for Panettiere, 2026 is less about finding a new love, and more about healing from the wounds of the past. She is currently single, focusing on her sobriety, her daughter, and finally telling her story on her own terms.
