Hayden Panettiere has spoken candidly about the heartbreaking loss of her brother, Jansen, who passed away at the age of 28 last year. In an exclusive interview with People magazine, the actress shared the emotional turmoil she experienced following his unexpected death due to an enlarged heart and aortic valve complications.
“He was my only sibling, and it was my job to protect him,” Panettiere reflected. “When I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul.”
In the wake of his passing, the actress struggled to leave her home, especially after paparazzi began following her and even took photos during his funeral, which she described as a very private event. “I had to see horrific paparazzi pictures of myself coming out of Jansen’s funeral, and it was shocking,” she said. This led to her experiencing agoraphobia again, a condition she had battled in the past.
Panettiere also shared that she faced rapid weight gain during this period, which affected her confidence and self-esteem. “It became a destructive hamster wheel of, do I feel good enough to go out?” she admitted.
Fortunately, her publicist introduced her to personal trainer Marnie Alton, which sparked a positive change in her life. The bond they formed during their training sessions, which included long walks and conversations, helped her not only get physically healthier but also manage her stress and emotional pain.
Through the process of learning to cope with her brother’s loss, Panettiere has gained a new outlook on life. She emphasized that after experiencing something so tragic, it’s easier to prioritize what truly matters and not let minor issues upset her. “Once something so horrific, so deep, so catastrophic happens in your life, there’s not much that can really rock you,” she noted.
Looking ahead, Panettiere stars in the film Amber Alert alongside Tyler James Williams from Abbott Elementary. The movie revolves around a rideshare journey that escalates into a tense pursuit of a car matching an Amber Alert description. While she is eager for its release on September 27, she acknowledges that the healing process from her brother’s death is ongoing. “I will always be heartbroken about it. I will never be able to get over it,” she expressed. “No matter how many years go by, I will never get over his loss.”