Hayden Had to Dump Stephen to "Breathe"

By Dahvi Fischer Feb 28, 2008 7:58 PMTags
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Funny how Hayden Panettiere cut loose former boy-toy Stephen Colletti last year, just as her star was rising and his 15 minutes of reality fame were running out.

But that's not how it went down, the Heroes star explained to Seventeen: "I just knew I wanted to breathe. I wanted to be single at the time."

The self-assured teen went on to say, "It just hit me like a ton of bricks: This is the time I need to be with myself. It takes such a secure person to be with someone like me—it takes so much confidence; it takes so much trust."

Only, as much as Hay-Hay says she needed her space and wanted to be single, rumors quickly surfaced that the starlet was dating Heroes costar Milo Ventimiglia—a coupling that went public once she turned the ripe old age of 18.

Like we said, funny how these things work out.