Hayden Panettiere reveals how ex Stephen Colletti saved her in past

Hayden Panettiere reflected on her teenage years in the spotlight, crediting former boyfriend Stephen Colletti with helping her navigate the pressures of paparazzi and tabloid attention.

The Heroes actress dated the Laguna Beach alum for nearly two years in the mid 2000s, a period when her career was rapidly rising.

“I’m so grateful that he was part of my life, especially when he was,” Panettiere told Us Weekly. “Because when I was with him was when I started having to deal with paparazzi and tabloids and being the focal point of them.”

Colletti, who had already experienced public scrutiny through his relationships with Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari, offered Panettiere guidance on how to manage the press “diplomatically.”

She recalled, “He never appeared to be [or] came off as a bad guy. So I knew that there was a way to protect yourself and put up boundaries without being offensive or rude.”

Even though the pair broke up in 2007, but Panettiere described their split as “peaceful and kind.”

She noted that they remain on good terms, even running into each other recently.

“I think he’s about to become a dad and I’m so happy for him,” she said. “We don’t keep in touch the way that I wish we did, because he’s such a great guy, but there was no drama.”