Hayden Panettiere 'Hid' Reunion With Abusive Ex Brian Hickerson Before Her Death, Friends Claim: 'She Wasn't Speaking About It'

Hayden Panettiere was allegedly not telling friends that she reconnected with ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson before she died.

The actress, 36, passed away in South Carolina on Sunday, August 16, after traveling there from Los Angeles, Calif., with Hickerson the day prior.

The former couple had a tumultuous relationship from 2018 to 2022, as Hickerson abused the star on at least one occasion and even served jail time for domestic violence against her.

Because of their checkered past, inside sources claimed Panettiere kept their reunion from even her closest friends.

"If Brian was back in her life, then it was something she was hiding because she wasn’t speaking about it with many of her friends," a source told Page Six.

It is unclear why Panettiere traveled to Greenville, S.C., before she died. However, Hickerson is originally from the southern state and still has family there.

Police said there was "no foul play" in Panettiere's death and "no signs of trauma" came up in the coroner's report. 911 calls in response to the tragedy mention a supposed "overdose" and "cardiac arrest."

"If you’ve gone through some dark times with people, and spoken about it, then there can be shame if you get back together with that same person,” an insider added. “So maybe that was why she hadn’t mentioned it to us."

In March 2026, Hickerson accompanied Panettiere at Los Angeles International Airport, where she was seen using crutches due to a back injury.

The instance was one of their first public sightings since 2022, when the couple allegedly broke up for good after getting into a physical altercation outside of a Los Angeles, Calif., bar.

Hickerson had previously spent 45 days in jail for multiple abuse charges ranging from 2019 to 2021.

Other sources close to Panettiere claimed that friends who knew about her reunion with Hickerson were worried about her.

"Hayden seemed to be doing well [recently], but there was still concern among her friends and inner circle," an insider told Us Magazine. "Especially because she started spending time with Brian again."

Panettiere opened up about the darkest moments of Hickerson's abuse in her May 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.

“That relationship and association had led her down a dark path in the past, so her friends and inner circle were worried for her. There were concerns, and her friends really hoped she was doing OK,” sources spilled.

Hickerson has not spoken out about Panettiere's death, and it is unclear if he was present when she was found unresponsive in a South Carolina apartment. Police reports claimed an "acquaintance" of the star called 911 before her passing.

Months before she died, Hickerson praised his on-off partner as an actress and a person.

"She probably doesn’t think the same way I think that Hayden is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met in my life," he gushed. "And I would be an idiot not to walk away from her and let her bull rush in her career. We probably wouldn’t be good together. I’d like to see what she’s gonna do with the next 30 years of her career."