Hayden Panettiere recalls ‘horrifying’ moment her daughter asked to call other women ‘Mommy’

The actor relinquished custody of her seven-year-old daughter Kaya in 2018 due to alcohol and opioid addiction

Hayden Panettiere has opened up about the “horrifying” moment when her only daughter asked other women if she could call them “Mommy”.

The Nashville actress spoke about the moment to Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield Norris, and guest host Kelly Osbourne during the latest episode of the Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk.

Panettiere, 33, discussed an alleged phone call she had with ex Wladimir Klitschko, 46, about their seven-year-old daughter Kaya. “I also remember her dad calling me and he said, ‘Kaya is going around and asking other women if she can call them Mommy,’” she explained. “And my breath hitched and my heart stopped, and he was laughing. 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,” Panettiere added. “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,” she said. “I never before ever heard her do that. It was a trauma that she was experiencing, you know, me not being around.”

Panettiere continued: “As much as I have tried to explain how much she needs her mom and how it’s going to rear its ugly head later when she’s older – and it could turn into anger, depression, whatever it is – but it’s going to be a trauma.”

“You can explain it to somebody who doesn’t understand that concept or doesn’t believe it until you’re blue in the face.”

Hayden Panettiere has been open about her decision to relinquish custody of her only child in 2018 amid struggles with alcohol and opioid addiction. During her appearance on Red Table Talk, the Heroes actor admitted that allowing her daughter Kaya to live with her pro boxer father in Ukraine was “the most heartbreaking thing” she’s ever had to do.

“I mean, it was the worst, signing those papers, it was like the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever had to do in my life,” she said.

“I was gonna go work on myself, I was gonna get better, and when I got better then things would change and she could come to me and I could have my time with her but that didn’t happen.”

In July, Panettiere revealed to People that giving her ex full custody over their daughter was the “hardest thing” she could do but the “best thing” for her daughter. “It was the hardest thing I could do. But the best thing for my daughter was to make sure she was okay, take care of myself and make sure I could be a good mom to her. And sometimes that means letting go,” she said at the time.

The actor, who is currently sober, cited eight months of rehab and intense trauma therapy for giving her the tools to “get over the hump” of her addiction. Today, Panettiere maintains a close relationship with her daughter who remains overseas.

“She has a beautiful life,” Panettiere said. “I was just with her. She’s just an amazing child. She’s smart and she’s funny and for whatever reason, she still loves me.”