Megan Pickford has spoken out about her postpartum depression in the wake of the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, who also publicly documented her struggles with the condition. Pickford, 30, shared a video on her Instagram stories that featured a montage of photos and videos of her with her three children.
"Important reminder: A lot can change in a year," Pickford wrote in a caption accompanying the video. She expressed her shock at sharing her experience, as she is typically a private person, only to learn of Panettiere's death the following day. Panettiere, 36, passed away on Sunday. The cause of death is yet to be confirmed, though preliminary investigations have not indicated foul play.
Pickford shared images of Panettiere, whose well-documented postpartum depression battle led her to give up custody of her daughter in 2018. The images in Pickford's video included both candid shots of herself looking sad or crying, and heartwarming moments with her children and husband, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. The montage was set to the song "I'm Not Them" by Them & I.
Pickford also shared a post from Cupcake Magazine that highlighted Panettiere's openness about postpartum depression, addiction, alcoholism, opioids, trauma, rehab, and motherhood. The post emphasized that Panettiere did not package her experiences neatly and spoke about the difficult aspects as well.
Panettiere's postpartum depression issues were widely discussed in 2018 when she relinquished full custody of her then-three-year-old daughter, Kaya, to her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko. This decision followed a deep depression that left her feeling "nothing" and led to increased alcohol consumption and subsequent rehabilitation for depression and substance abuse.
In a May interview with Dear Momé, Panettiere described the custody decision as difficult and not one she wanted to make. She explained that she was going through a challenging period in her life. On Jay Shetty's "On Purpose" podcast in May, she stated, "I have been the one who sought it out, who was saying, ‘I desperately need help. I know this is going to look terrible, but I am. I cannot live like this anymore… The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be OK with it is heartbreaking. It couldn’t be further from the truth… It became this horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse, and just me trying to find my way back."
Panettiere also spoke about her daughter in the Dear Momé interview, expressing her love and pride in the young woman she is becoming. Panettiere mentioned that she talks to her daughter often and feels connected to her. She added that by the time she felt healthy enough, she believed it would be unfair and selfish to try to remove her daughter from the life she had created.
Detectives confirmed responding to a 911 call from an acquaintance of Panettiere at her apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday afternoon. Responding officers and paramedics attempted to save her life, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation into her death is ongoing, with authorities stating that preliminary findings have not suggested any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.