Hayden Panettiere Would ‘Well Up with Tears’ When Talking About How Much She Loved Daughter Kaya, 11 (Exclusive Source)

Hayden Panettiere would sometimes “well up with tears” when talking about how much she loved and missed her daughter Kaya, 11, an exclusive source tells PEOPLE. The late actress signed over full custody of her daughter to ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in 2018.

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An exclusive source tells PEOPLE that Hayden Panettiere would get emotional when speaking about how much she loved and missed her daughter Kaya, 11

The late actress signed over custody of her daughter Kaya to ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in 2018

Panettiere was candid in the past about making that tough decision while pursuing treatment for alcoholism and drug abuse

Hayden Panettiere always loved her daughter Kaya.

An exclusive source tells PEOPLE that the late actress, who died suddenly on Sunday, Aug. 16, would occasionally get emotional when she thought of how much she loved and missed her 11-year-old daughter Kaya.

Panettiere signed over custody of her daughter to ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko in 2018 following her struggles with substance abuse. Klitschko and Kaya went on to live full-time in the former professional boxer’s home country, Ukraine.

“Hayden could become very emotional talking about her daughter,” the source tells PEOPLE. “She would sometimes well up with tears when discussing how much she loved and missed her daughter.”

The source adds that Panettiere’s love for her daughter was “deeply evident,” even despite some of the more “chaotic” aspects of her life.

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The Nashville star was found dead at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on the afternoon of Aug. 16. She was 36. According to dispatch audio obtained by PEOPLE, officials were heard discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” around the time of Panettiere’s death.

In the past, Panettiere was candid about her decision to sign over custody to Klitschko, saying in 2022, “It was very upsetting signing those papers to give him full custody. It was like the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever, ever had to do in my life.”

She touched on the topic while speaking on Jay Shetty’s podcast On Purpose in an interview earlier this year, reflecting on making the custody choice as she sought treatment for alcoholism and substance abuse. At the time, Panettiere said that claims she “gave away” her child “couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

“That was incredibly difficult. The fact that my child wasn’t going to be with me all day, every day was ... you can’t put words to it. It’s just a really intense feeling or multiple feelings really layered together,” said Panettiere.

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After news of Panettiere’s death broke, Klitschko shared a lengthy statement about his former fiancée on Instagram. The post included an old photograph of himself with the late actress and their daughter, Kaya, on her shoulders.

“Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief,” he captioned the Aug. 18 Instagram post. “The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya.”

“She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry,” Klitschko continued of the late actress. “Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.”

The boxer also vowed to protect Kaya’s memory of her mother as she grows older.

“To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was,” he wrote. “I extend my deepest condolences to Hayden’s parents, her friends, and her fans, who are also grieving today.”

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