Hayden Panettiere Debuts Dramatic Transformation as She Returns to Social Media

The Nashville returned to Twitter almost 10 months after she went on a social media hiatus amid some personal turmoil.

By Corinne Heller Dec 11, 2019 9:52 PMTags
Hayden Panettiere Getty Images/Twitter

Welcome back to social media, Hayden Panettiere...you look different.

The 30-year-old Nashville alum returned to Twitter for the first time in 10 months on Wednesday, with a throwback look. She posted a selfie, showcasing her new pixie cut, and wrote, "Channeling my inner #Kirby #Scream4 Thanks to my boys ⁦@anthonyleonard❤️," referencing her character's hairstyle in the 2011 horror sequel and tagging her hairdresser.

Leonard Zagami, the hair guru behind her transformation, tells E! News exclusively, "Hayden was looking for a radical change, so last night we just went for it! It's a modern version of a classic pixie style with a little more of an edge. The color is silver, but not grey. She had previously been going with a super sexy blonde."

As for Hayden's decision to embrace such a fierce 'do, he adds, "The cut was a collaborative idea. She has wanted to go short for a while but she has always had a commitment with her work and wasn't able to. Right now, she is free and said, let's do it!"

In February, Panettiere began a social media hiatus amid what would later be revealed to be some personal turmoil. In May, her boyfriend Brian Hickerson was arrested early after allegedly getting into a violent confrontation with the actress. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of felony domestic violence, while a judge issued a protective order barring him from coming within 100 yards of Panettiere. In September, the case was dismissed.

photos
Stars' Epic Hair Transformations

Panettiere and Hickerson have since reconciled. They recently spent Thanksgiving together with friends, as seen in photos he posted on Instagram, and were also photographed in public holding hands in November.

"Hayden and Brian got back together as soon as the restraining order was lifted," a source told E! News at the time. "Neither one of them wanted the restraining order in place and it was the only thing preventing them from being together."

Panettiere's family members, however, are "frustrated and disappointed" about the reconciliation, the source said, adding, "Even though she knows they don't approve of him, Hayden is telling everyone that things are different this time."

In August 2018, it was revealed that Panettiere and husband and pro boxer Wladimir Klitschko had split after nine years together. Later that month, E! News learned that the actress was dating Hickerson, a South Carolina native who had moved to Los Angeles "to do real estate and acting," another source said.

Watch: Hayden Panettiere Is Having a Baby Girl!

Panettiere and Klitschko share a 5-year-old daughter, Kaya. One of the last photos the actress had posted on Twitter before her hiatus shows her with the child, who reportedly lives with her dad in Ukraine.

"Sweet moments with sleeping babes ❤️," she wrote.

—Additional reporting by Spencer Lubitz