Megan Pickford has expressed her heartbreak following the death of actress Hayden Panettiere in South Carolina, revealing she shared a video about her postpartum depression just one day before.
The 30-year-old wife of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, 32, posted an emotional video shedding light on her battle on Saturday, shortly before the announcement on Monday that Panettiere had passed away on Sunday at the age of 36.
Reacting to the news on her Instagram story, Megan wrote about her shock at opening up publicly after being a private person for so long. She explained that she could not believe she had decided to share her experience only to wake up the next day to news of Panettiere's death.
The video shared by Megan featured a montage of photographs and clips alongside her three children: seven-year-old Arlo, two-year-old Ostara, and 16-month-old Misty. Over the video, she included a caption reading, "Important reminder: A lot can change in a year."
Social media montage and family life
Megan's video offered a candid insight into her personal journey, combining heartbreaking shots where she was crying or looking sad with heartwarming moments alongside her husband and children. In some clips, she was described as looking radiant as she discussed getting her spark back, while others showed her hugging her daughter Misty and cuddling her during a summer holiday.
The video was set to the 2025 hit "I'm Not Them" by Them & I, and featured a caption overlay reading, "Trust me, I know ball." It also showed her sharing a tender kiss with her football ace husband, who had recently returned from playing in the World Cup.
The couple met when they were teenagers and became engaged in 2018. They were legally married in 2020 with their eldest son Arlo in attendance, before holding a wedding spectacular in the Maldives in 2022.
Following her video, Megan posted a series of images of Panettiere and reshared a post from Cupcake Magazine about the actress and her depression. The caption highlighted Panettiere's open discussions about postpartum depression, addiction, alcoholism, opioids, trauma, rehab, motherhood, and losing custody of her daughter during one of the darkest periods of her life.
The reshared caption noted that Panettiere did not package any of her struggles neatly and talked about the ugly parts too, adding that there was tremendous value in her openness.
Custody battle and mental health struggles
Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, suffered well-documented battles with postpartum depression that led to her giving full custody of her then-three-year-old daughter Kaya to her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in 2018.
Former boxer Klitschko subsequently moved Kaya to his native Ukraine. The widely discussed custody decision came after Panettiere fell into a deep depression, which she said made her feel nothing, leading her to turn to wine and eventually be sent to rehab for depression and substance abuse.
In her final interview in May with Dear Momé, Panettiere spoke about her choice, stating that it was not a decision she made lightly or even wanted to make, explaining that she was going through a really challenging time in her life.
Speaking to Jay Shetty on his On Purpose podcast in May, Panettiere recalled asking for help, saying she was the one who desperately sought out assistance despite knowing how it would look to others. She said the idea that anybody would think she would just give away her child and be OK with it was heartbreaking and could not be further from the truth.
Panettiere described the period as a horrible cycle of battling depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and substance abuse while trying to find her way back. Speaking about Kaya to Dear Momé, she said she loved her daughter, was proud of the young woman she was becoming, talked to her all the time, and felt connected to her as a mini-me. She added that once she finally got healthy, she felt it would have been unfair and selfish to try to pull her daughter out of the incredible life she had created in Ukraine.
Police investigation in South Carolina
Detectives confirmed to the Daily Mail that they responded on Sunday afternoon to a 911 call from an acquaintance of Panettiere describing her as unresponsive at an apartment block in Greenville, South Carolina. Officers and paramedics attempted to save her life, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination showed no signs of trauma, though her official cause of death has yet to be confirmed. Police and the local coroner's office are investigating the death, but stated that the preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.
