Rollercoaster romance. Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson’s relationship has been marred by legal trouble since the couple were first linked in August 2018.
The Nashville alum moved on with Hickerson after her split from fiancé Wladimir Klitschko. Panettiere and the former professional boxer began dating in 2009. The pair briefly broke up in 2011 but got engaged two years later. They welcomed daughter Kaya in December 2014.
Hickerson and the actress appeared to have a strong start. “She seemed very happy and in great spirits and they were having [a] fun night together,” a source told Us Weekly in August 2018 when the new couple were spotted at a screening of Breaking & Exiting in Los Angeles. The insider added that they “seemed cute together.”
The following month, an onlooker told Us the duo “were very affectionate and sat next to each other the entire time” while grabbing brunch with pals: “When their two friends went exploring the space, they stayed behind and remained close to each other talking and kissing.”
Trouble hit the couple in October 2018 when Hickerson was involved in an altercation with his father. In May 2019, the Los Angeles resident was arrested for domestic violence due to an alleged incident with his girlfriend. He was charged with felony domestic violence later that month and ordered to stay away from Panettiere and not contact her.
The couple split after a domestic violence incident in February 2020 and five months later Hickerson was charged with eight counts of domestic violence and assault.
Amid her rocky personal life, the Heroes alum told Us exclusively that coparenting with Klitschko was “going well” and the two “get along” despite their breakup. “We’re still respectful of each other, and we still have that friendship with each other,” she said in January 2019. “It’s not a situation that you find yourself in all that often, so it’s a new one. But I think we’ve done a really good job.”
Scroll to revisit Panettiere’s relationship timeline with Hickerson.