Hayden Panettiere Recalls Nearly Dying During Childbirth

Hayden Panettiere is pulling back the curtain on some of the darkest chapters of her life … including nearly dying during childbirth and battling postpartum depression after welcoming daughter Kaya with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.

The actress sat down Monday with CBS News’ Gayle King to promote her new memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning” … and spoke candidly about how what should’ve been one of the happiest times in her life spiraled into something far more painful.

Check out the clip … Hayden says she had a “wonderful pregnancy” while dating Wladimir … but things took a terrifying turn during delivery: “I had a really rough birth to the point where I almost didn’t make it through.”

The former “Heroes” and “Nashville” star says the postpartum depression hit almost immediately after Kaya was born … despite desperately wanting to become a mom.

“There I am with this beautiful, healthy, beautiful baby girl and this very fortunate life … and I could not for the life of me be happy,” she said. “I was so depressed.”

Hayden admitted the experience left her feeling disconnected from the version of motherhood she’d imagined for herself … adding, “I had all these ideas in my head of what I wanted to do as a mom, as a parent … and I think I was also scared because of what my mom did to me that I might do that to my child.”

Panettiere also opened up about her current relationship with Kaya, who lives overseas with Wladimir in Ukraine … saying the two remain close despite the distance.

“I’m so blessed to have a great relationship with her,” she said. “I fly over there as much as I can. I’m on FaceTime with her all the time.”

Hayden also reflected on her complicated relationship with her mother, Lesley Vogel, who has been outspoken about the memoir — accusing the actress of giving her “20 years of trauma” — as well as the emotional toll of growing up in Hollywood after becoming a breakout TV star at just 16 years old.