Hayden Panettiere once wrote in her memoir that working on 'Nashville' was like diving 'headfirst into my own hell'

Hayden Panettiere erstwhile wrote that starring connected "Nashville" and reference the show's book was for illustration "looking successful a funhouse mirror."

In her 2026 memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," published 3 months earlier her August 16 death, Panettiere wrote that it felt for illustration her "personal problems were penning the script," peculiarly during the show's 4th season, which aired from 2015 to 2016.

After publically disclosing that she was entering a curen installation for her postpartum depression and addiction issues successful 2015, her characteristic connected "Nashville," state prima Juliette Barnes, knowledgeable akin challenges.

At the time, the character had besides been unfastened astir her strained narration pinch her mother and astir being connected the verge of splitting pinch her then-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko. The two, who stock an 11-year-old daughter, yet divided successful August 2018.

"Juliette Barnes had postpartum depression, an intoxicant and pill problem, and a divorcement connected the horizon. She was erratic, an absentee mother, and fought pinch everyone — including her fans," Panettiere, who played Barnes connected the show's six seasons from 2012 to 2018, wrote.

"Every clip I publication the day's script, it was for illustration I was looking successful a funhouse mirror, seeing a distorted type of myself. I can't show you really mislaid this made maine feel," she continued. "I didn't autumn into different world that was chopped from my own. I dove headfirst into my ain hell."

Panettiere added that she was suffering from "debilitating worry and an addiction I couldn't shake," and past had to unrecorded done it twice: "First astatine location arsenic Hayden, and past successful beforehand of millions, arsenic Juliette."

"Something had to give, and I was acrophobic it was going to beryllium me," she continued successful the book.

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Panettiere didn't ever consciousness this measurement while starring connected the series. In 2014, she said it was a "blessing" to play the characteristic and erstwhile speaking astir "Nashville," praised "the brilliance of the writing." She besides applauded the show's writers for creating a characteristic the viewers could guidelines for.

She told TV Line that year that "as guardant arsenic Juliette has been and arsenic galore times arsenic she's fallen connected her face, there's ever thing other to study astir her, to understand astir her."

Panettiere entered different rehab installation aft relapsing successful 2015, and had to beryllium written retired of the mediate of play 4 — truthful Juliette went to rehab, too. "Nashville" yet ended successful 2018 aft six seasons, but Panettiere wrote successful her memoir that she was fresh to beryllium done pinch the show, moreover choosing not to be the bid wrap party. The writers gave Juliette a happy ending successful the bid finale, reunited pinch her girl and her emotion interest, Avery (Will Chase).

"When I'd received my invitation, I politely declined. I conscionable couldn't dress that this section of my life was thing to memorialize," she wrote.

Three months aft publishing her memoir, Panettiere was recovered dormant successful an flat analyzable successful Greenville, South Carolina. She was 36.

After news of her decease broke, immoderate of her "Nashville" formed members posted tributes, including costar Connie Britton, who called her "bursting pinch brilliance, sparkling truthful bright."