Hayden Panettiere has canceled a planned appearance at the Creep I.E. Aftermath fan convention in Ontario, California, due to a last-minute family emergency. Organizers announced her withdrawal on Friday, stating that the actress could not attend the weekend event. A replacement, Dominique Swain, has been secured.
Panettiere's representative confirmed to the Daily Mail that the cancellation was due to a private family matter involving the health of an elderly relative. The specific nature of the emergency has not been disclosed.
This development follows the release of Panettiere's memoir, "This Is Me," two months ago. In the book, she discussed her past struggles with addiction, the challenges of child stardom, and her relationship with ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson. The memoir also detailed her strained relationship with her mother, Lesley Vogel, who was once her manager.
In 2018, Panettiere voluntarily relinquished custody of her daughter, Kaya, to the child's father, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, to focus on her recovery. Panettiere has described the separation from her daughter as a profoundly difficult experience. She detailed her struggles with alcohol and opiates, achieving sobriety after an eight-month rehabilitation stay in 2020. Her book recounts a health scare where a doctor warned her that continued drinking could be fatal within five years and described intense withdrawal symptoms during her rehab.
In February 2023, Panettiere's brother, Jansen, died at age 28 from undiagnosed health complications. The actress's representatives clarified that her emotional state during a subsequent interview discussing his death was due to the difficulty of the topic and a long day, refuting claims of relapse.
Panettiere's relationship with Brian Hickerson, which began in 2018, was marked by controversy, including multiple domestic violence charges against Hickerson and a 13-day prison sentence for injuring her in 2021. Although they reportedly split in July 2022, they were seen together on multiple occasions afterward, sparking rumors of reconciliation. They were most recently spotted together in March, two months before the release of Panettiere's memoir, which offered a critical account of their relationship.