Hayden Panettiere "still has feelings" for Brian Hickerson - even though he was jailed for domestic violence.
Hayden Panettiere still has feelings for her ex
The 33-year-old actress has reconnected with the real estate agent - who previously pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a partner and spent 13 days in jail in 2021 - on a platonic level but hasn't ruled out rekindling their romance again in the future.
She told The New York Times newspaper: "There are feelings there, yes.He knows he deserved what happened to him. [Our relationship] is contingent on him continuing on this road of recovery. But I did not do any of this lightly."
According to the outlet, Brian was at home with Hayden - who has eight-year-old daughter Kaya with former partner Wladimir Klitschko - whilst she was conducting the interview and was reportedly seen to be "walking around, vacuuming and shooting a basketball through the hoop in her living area" and even referred to the actress as "babe" on several occasions.
Despite the 'Heroes' star's comments, Brian, also 33, previously ruled out a romantic reconciliation with Hayden, telling TMZ last summer they are "just friends" and he is "looking forward to new chapters".
The former couple got involved in a fight at the Sunset Marquis hotel in Los Angeles in March last year and Brian acknowledged it was "not one of the finer moments" in his life, but it prompted him to go "to treatment and get help".
Meanwhile, in an interview with People magazine Hayden reflected on her "very dark and complicated time" in her relationship with Brian.
She said: "It was a very dark and complicated time in my life. But a lot of women go through what I went through, and I want people to know it's OK to ask for help.
"None of it is OK. But I want to make sure that everybody knows that each person who goes through something like that, they're on their own journey. No two things are exactly alike."
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