Hayden Panettiere death: Late actor's old video about being sex trafficked to ‘famous man’ at age 18 goes viral

Actor Hayden Panettiere's sudden passing at 36 came as a shock to many in the entertainment industry. Amid a probe into her death, an old interview of hers has now resurfaced online. In the clip, she once revealed that she was betrayed by a friend and sex trafficked to a “very famous man” on a yacht at age 18.

Hayden Panettiere's old interview surfaces

In the interview, Hayden Panettiere said that she was "told to perform sexual acts” while she was an up-and-coming child actor. She revealed that it was her unidentified female friend whom she "had grown to trust and see as a protector" until she took her to the boat. “There was no hints of anything like that happening, so it took me by surprise,” the late actor said.

Sex trafficked

The Scream actor added that she was taken to the below deck of the yacht where there was "very small room." She said that she was placed in a bed next to an "undressed man." She also recalled the incident in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which was published on May 19.

Panettiere said that the man seemed “like this was just an average day for him," adding how she escaped from the room. “I was like, ‘This is not happening,'” she said.

According to the actor, she tried to hide elsewhere on the boat. “There was no jumping off and swimming away. And there was nobody who was going to be empathetic to my situation. I realized that this was nothing new to them,” Panettiere explained.

“When you really find somebody that you trust, you hold on to them for dear life, and you feel so lucky. So to be betrayed like that is just an awful feeling,” she remarked.

Panettiere's interview dates back to May 11. It is from an episode of Jay Shetty’s podcast, “On Purpose with Jay Shetty.”

Hayden Panettiere death cause

Hayden Panettiere was found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville South Carolina. She was pronounced dead after efforts couldn't bring her back, as per People. As per the same portal, officials were heard talking about an alleged “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” at the time of her death.

Who is Hayden Panettiere

Hayden Panettiere starred in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live in 1994, followed by her popular roles in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise.

She is survived by her 11-year-old daughter Kaya, whom she shared with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.