Paparazzi Destroyed My Love Life, Hayden Panettiere Says

At only 19, “Heroes” star Hayden Panettiere knows exactly what she wants from life and how she’s going to get it, at least on a personal level. What she doesn’t know yet though is how she will cope with the media attention once she meets someone special again, the actress having already gone through the experience of a failed relationship, for which failure she mostly considers the media to be responsible, as she says in her latest interview with Company magazine.

As fans must know, Hayden and “Heroes” co-star Milo Ventimiglia were an item for almost two years, breaking off the much-mediated romance at the beginning of this year. While speculation has it that the age gap was the one that eventually proved the two that they could not be together, or that Hayden got pregnant and chickened out, the actress herself says it was the media attention that killed off the romance.

Being a star has its disadvantages, Hayden says. Because people want to know more of her personal life, the intrusion on behalf of the paparazzi is unbelievable. This, in turn, puts a strain on every aspect of her life, including her relationship with a man. “It’s very, very difficult and people have no idea what they do to people’s relationships. They destroy them. The paparazzi and the public. The public wants to read about your personal life, and the paparazzi give it to them by nosing into your personal life and saying things that are just not true and horrible.” the actress says.

While she doesn’t downright name Milo as the one with whom she had the relationship that was destroyed by the media, it’s not hard to see why many would incline to believe so. After all, although one of the most appreciated and loved girls of her generation, Hayden was hardly seen in anyone but Milo’s company. Her previous statements that the men she’s most attracted to must be in their 30s, this being the age when they have already worked through their insecurities and decided what they want from life, also work to reinforce this belief.

The disastrous consequences the lack of privacy has go beyond her love life, Hayden further says. “I used to walk my dogs in my pyjamas. You know something’s not right when you’re lying in bed for 15 minutes in the morning going, ‘How do I get milk for cereal without having to leave my house?’ I would be so happy if I could walk down the street without someone coming out of the bushes.” the star concludes by saying.