All About Hayden Panettiere's Daughter Kaya Evdokia Klitschko

Mar. 15, 2025

Wladimir Klitschko and Hayden Panettiere with their daughter Kaya.Photo: Hayden Panettiere Twitter

Hayden Panettierehas experienced a unique motherhood journey since welcoming her daughter,Kaya Evdokia Klitschko.

TheScream VIactress shares Kaya, who was born in December 2014, with her ex-fiancéWladimir Klitschko. When the former couple split in 2018, Panettiere made the heartbreaking decision to have Kaya live in Ukraine with Klitschko, and lost custody of her daughter. At the time, Panettiere was struggling with alcohol abuse and addiction and later underwent both trauma therapy and inpatient treatment.

“I felt horribly guiltybut at the same time, I was trying to tell myself if I’m not okay, if I’m not good then I cannot be the best mom to [Kaya],” the actress said of having Kaya reside in Ukraine during a 2022 episode ofRed Table Talk. “And I was going through such a hard time and I knew the most unselfish thing I could do was to make that hard decision and just try to work on myself.”

Though Kaya still resides in Europe with Klitschko, Panettiere stays in regular contact with her.

“We are fortunate thatwe can travel a lot,” she told PEOPLE of her vacations with her daughter in 2022. “She’s a happy kid open to a huge world. And she has more love than anybody I’ve ever met.”

Panettiere added, “She has a beautiful life. 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.”

Here’s everything to know about Hayden Panettiere’s daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko.

Hayden Panettiere at to the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2014.Kevork Djansezian/NBC/NBCUniversal/Getty

One month before giving birth to Kaya, Panettiere opened up about how thrilled she was to be “having a girl first,” tellingHello! Magazine, “I feel like I know a lot about raising a strong woman … I feel very empowered myself and I think my daughter will, too.”

Kaya was born in 2014

“We are over the moon and madly in love!” the pair told PEOPLE, with the actress later saying of Klitschko, “I’m lucky if I can get my hands on the kid. He’s like, ‘No, no, I got her.’ Which is exactly what I thought he would be like.”

She added of her newborn daughter, “She’s really so sweet. I’m sure that’s the way it’s meant to be, because when they are putting you through the wringer you’re like, ‘You are so lucky you’re cute!’ "

Looking back on Kaya’s birth in September 2024, Panettiere told PEOPLE that her daughter has been just like her since the moment she was born.

“She’s beautiful, and she came out just like me,” she said. “I mean, talk about nature vs. nurture. I mean, this little girl literally came out — not just her face resembling mine, but she is my personality. She just is.”

Panettiere struggled with postpartum depression

TheHeroesstar has been very open abouther experience with postpartum depressionandaddictionfollowing Kaya’s birth. She told E! News’The Rundownin 2023that she “wishes somebody told her'' what she might feel and that she wishes she “knew to look out for it.”

“I never heard any stories about it at all. I just thought there was something seriously wrong with me, so I thought, ‘[Alcohol] will fix this. Duh!’ " she explained. “And it didn’t. It does for a moment, but then it made everything worse.”

Simultaneously, Panettiere said her relationship with Klitschko suffered as he believedshe was responsible for her postpartum depression. “[He’s] a man that doesn’t have any sisters,” she explained onRed Table Talkin September 2022. “So he really thought that I was doing it to myself and just that I could choose to snap out of it.”

She entered treatment for substance abuse for the first time when Kaya was four months old, and is proud to be doing better now. She “looks forward” to the day she cantalk about her experiences with Kaya.

“I’m grateful that I’m equipped with the information and with the experience that I’ve had with postpartum depression,” she toldWomen’s Healthin March 2023.

Kaya lives with her dad in Europe

Hayden Panettiere and her daughter Kaya.Hayden Panettiere Twitter

After Panettiere and Klitschko split in 2018, theNashvilleactress made the decision for Kaya tolive with her father in Ukraineamidst her struggles with addiction. However, at the time, Panettiere didn’t realize the decision would be permanent.

“I was gonna go work on myself and I was gonna get better,” Panettiere said during her 2022 appearance onRed Table Talk. “And when I got better that things could change and she could come to me and I could have my time with her. But that didn’t happen.”

She also called relinquishing custody of Kaya and signing the papers the “most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.”

“It was thehardest thing I could do,” Panettiere had previously told PEOPLE. “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 is multilingual

While speaking to PEOPLE in 2024, Panettiere revealed her daughter can speak five languages.

“English, Russian, Ukrainian, German, and she’s now getting on with her French …she’s a genius,” the actress shared.

She continued, “I think language is one thing we do poorly in the U.S. By the time we start teaching them languages, their brain is already too formed. But when they’re babies and young, they’re like a sponge. You can teach them anything. She doesn’t appreciate it now, but I keep telling her she will!”

During a 2017 appearance onLive with Kelly!,Panettiere admitted then-2-year-old Kaya was “really good at Russian” — and had even developed a Russian accent.

Kaya is a fearless skier

While her father is a professional boxer, Kaya has shown talent in another sport: skiing.

Kaya began skiing at just 2 years old, with Panettiere showing off a video of her daughter on the slopes during her 2017 appearance onLive with Kelly!.

The actress also discussed Kaya’s fearlessness on the mountain toGood Morning Americain 2017. “She has no fear,” Panettiere said. “She would go straight into a wall if you let her.”

She is obsessed with horses

Hayden Panettiere and holding her daughter Kaya.Hayden Panettiere Twitter

In February 2024, Panettiere shared some of her daughter’s interests with PEOPLE, including Kaya’s love of horses.

In addition to horses, Kaya is also a fan of swimming — something she has in common with her mom.

“She’s just like me,” Panettiere said. “When I was working onNashville, I was pregnant with her and just spent a lot of time in my pool. And she came out just loving water.”

Kaya inspired Panettiere to start a charity

Kaya has been a driving force behindPanettiere’s dedication to her newest mission— Hoplon International, the charity she founded in March 2022 to raise money for Ukraine amid the war with Russia. Kaya lived in the country with her father until the upheaval made it unsafe to stay there.

Panettiere shared her concern for Kaya and the situation in Ukraine with PEOPLE, saying, “What she’s dealing with and what we’re all going through right now in regards to Ukraine is really really hard. I had a conversation with her and the only question she had was, ‘Why is Putin doing this?’ It’s so heartbreaking.”

Panettiere explained that with Hoplon International, “every penny goes directly to the front lines.” She added, “Wlad and I have been working hand in hand. He and Vitali are on the ground fighting for their country. Every time I hear his voice or get a text from him, it’s such a relief.”

source: people.com