Hayden Panettiere spoke for the first time about the death of her brother Jansen in February 2023 at the age of 28 due to an undiagnosed heart condition.
The 35-year-old actress and singer said People Wednesday: “He was my only brother and it was my job to protect him. When I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul.”
At the time of Jansen’s death, Panettiere’s parents, Lesley Vogul and Skip Panettiere, said in a statement that her “sudden passing was due to cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) along with aortic valve complications.”
The New York-born artist said she suffered from agoraphobia in the wake of the high-profile family tragedy.
The Heroes actress said she gained weight — “I just bloated up,” she told the outlet — amid increased “stress and cortisol” levels as she dealt with the tragic event.
Hayden Panettiere, 35, spoke for the first time about the death of her brother Jansen in February 2023 at age 28 due to an undiagnosed heart condition. Pictured in Los Angeles in 2022
“I didn’t feel confident putting on my clothes and leaving the house, but I also knew I needed to get out and keep moving or I would never stop looking and feeling like this,” Panettiere said.
She added: “It became a destructive hamster wheel of: Do I feel well enough to go out?”
The Nashville star said she has gained some wisdom from the tragic events.
“When something so terrible happens to you, you learn to pick your own fights and not let the little things get to you,” Panettiere said. “Because when something so horrible, so profound, so catastrophic happens in your life, there’s not much that can get to you.”
The Heroes actress was photographed with her late brother in January 2019 in Los Angeles.
At the time of Jansen’s death, Panettiere’s parents, Lesley Vogul and Skip Panettiere, said in a statement that her “sudden passing was due to cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) along with aortic valve complications.” Jansen seen in Los Angeles in 2015
Panettiere said her brother’s death is something she will “never get over.”
She added: “It will always break my heart. I will never get over it. No matter how many years pass, I will never get over losing him.”
Panettiere appears in the upcoming film Amber Alert, which hits theaters on September 27.