Los Angeles, California – After the sudden death of actor Hayden Panettiere, her ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, has been brought into the spotlight, as reports have now claimed she kept their relationship a secret to protect her career.
According to an insider who spoke with TMZ, the pair hadn’t broken up as often as the public has been led to believe.
In fact, Hayden and the 37‑year‑old were together months before her shocking death. A confidential source says the Scream 4 star’s management advised her to keep the relationship hidden.
Hayden met the M.F.A. actor in 2018, shortly after the breakup with boxer Wladimir Klitschko, through mutual friends. Only a few months after the announcement of her new partner, rumors began swirling in Hollywood that the relationship had turned violent.
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Hayden’s ex‑boyfriend was arrested multiple times for assault during their relationship. After the brutal attacks on the Heroes star, they apparently split in 2021 – at least that’s how it seemed.
Just before Hayden’s death, she released her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she revealed she never truly cut off contact with the actor. On the contrary, Brian and Hayden allegedly celebrated her career comeback in secret.
Brian’s past appeared to be a sore spot for the 36‑year‑old’s team. According to the insider, her management warned that he could be “bad for business” amid her book promotion.
In the memoir, it becomes clear that the contact between the two never really waned. Supposedly, after years of alcohol abuse, they reunited during a detox and grew closer.
Moreover, the insider claimed to have seen the supposedly separated couple multiple times in Los Angeles and South Carolina – even their friends are said to have laughed at the breakup gossip.
