Hayden Panettiere has come out as bisexual during an interview with Us Weekly, ahead of the release of her new memoir: This Is Me: A Reckoning.

The 36-year-old started out in Hollywood during the 2000s, specifically in the hit superhero show Heroes as Claire Bennett. Other iconic roles include Kirby Reed in the Scream movie franchise and Juliette Barnes in the musical drama series Nashville. Panettiere also starred in Racing Stripes, I Love You, Beth Cooper and Ice Princess.

She started working at a young age, and has been nominated for two Golden Globes. She also became the face of many beauty skin care brands and felt as though she had to be ‘squeaky clean’ and perfect for the public.

In her memoir, which comes out on May 19, Hayden Panettiere shares the revelation about her bisexual identity, alongside other stories from her life in the spotlight.

“That’s something about me I was never able to share with the world because it was just never the right time,” she told Us.

“I was not encouraged to just be myself,” she explains. “Then it came, the period of time, where it felt like people coming out, especially women coming out, and saying that they were bisexual, or liked girls.”

 

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The Nashville actress went on to say she felt like she would be “jumping on the bandwagon” if she came out at the time, and always felt afraid of how others would perceive her.

She exclaimed, “It is sad I had to wait until I was 36 years old to share that part of me, but better late than never, right?”

Throughout her childhood, Panettiere felt trapped under the expectations of Hollywood, including the invasive and scrutinising gaze of the paparazzi. However, that didn’t stop her from dating women, revealing that she was “much more into women” than men during her upbringing.

Panettiere is so proud to be able to share her sexuality with the world. She said she’s now “comfortable to confidently say that, yes, I am bisexual. I said it!”

Speaking about her memoir ahead of its release, she concluded, “You may laugh a little, cry a little, but most importantly, you’ll hopefully finish it feeling inspired.”