Actor Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville and the horror franchise Scream has shared that she is bisexual.
The 36-year-old actor is preparing to release an upcoming autobiography, and opened up about her personal life in an interview with Us Weekly.
“No one ever encouraged me to just be myself, and there was a period of time where it felt like people coming out, especially women coming out, was a fad,” Panettiere told the magzine, explaining that she was “afraid” to appear she was “jumping on the bandwagon” if she came out.
“It was just never the right time, and it was a very difficult topic to articulate properly. I wanted to make sure that I really sat down and chose my words carefully and was able to tell my story in an honest way, that people understood. On one hand, it’s sad that I had to wait till I was 36 years old to share that part of me, but better late than never, right?” she said.
“Now that I know that this book is coming out, and that I’ve chosen to share it with the world, I’m comfortable saying I’m bisexual. I’m comfortable to confidently say that, yes, I am bisexual. I said it!”
Panettiere’s book This Is Me: A Reckoning will be released later this month.
Panettiere first came to prominence when she played Claire Bennet on the series Heroes which ran from 2006-2010. She also appeared in the 2006 teen film Bring It On All of Nothing.
