Hayden Panettiere has revealed that the “very famous” and “undressed” man she forced into his bed when she was just 18 was a “famous 30-something British singer-songwriter”.
The actress first opened up about the incident on Jay Shetty’s podcast “On Purpose,” before revealing information about his identity in her new memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” released on Tuesday.
Panettiere, 36, wrote that the terrifying experience happened during a trip to the south of France aboard what she described as a “superyacht” packed with celebrities.
At the time, she was traveling with a close friend, whom she referred to only by her pseudonym, Stella McAmis.
The trip took a dark turn toward the end, when Panettiere said McAmis approached her during dinner and asked her to come downstairs to meet someone.
Mr. McAmis led the “Nashville” alum through a narrow hallway to a private cabin, where Mr. Panettiere discovered the “famous 30-something British singer-songwriter” shirtless under a sheet.
“I thought, ‘Oh my god,’ ‘Is he naked underneath?'” she wrote, claiming that a trusted friend whispered to her, “I want you in bed with him. He has a huge dick,” before they were alone in the room.
Panettiere wrote that her heart was “pounding” from fear but her thoughts were “fuzzy,” but as a child actor she was used to being “managed” by others and initially followed her friends’ orders.
But once she was alone with the man, she realized she couldn’t leave the situation any longer.
“Look, I don’t know what she told you, but that’s not going to happen. Shen then hurried out of the room and made arrangements to leave the yacht as soon as possible.”
“I wasn’t scared, but it felt like I had been kicked in the face,” she wrote of her former friend’s actions. “She confided in me, spoiled me, treated me like a best friend, then turned around and treated me like a call girl. I deserved so much better than that.”
The “Heroes” alum has kept her friend’s identity a secret, with fans initially speculating that it was “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum Diana Jenkins.
However, the former Bravo star released a statement through her representative on May 13 denying the rumors.
A spokesperson for Jenkins told TMZ: “Princess Diana has had to deal with false rumors online before, and unfortunately this is just one example of that.” “So let me be 100 per cent clear on this: It is definitely not Princess Diana, and anyone who claims to be Princess Diana will be prosecuted.”
When asked why he keeps the musician’s identity secret, Panettiere admitted it’s because he’s afraid of being sued.
“It was a bad look for them, and[the people I didn’t name]were usually people within my industry,” she told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month. “These are people I might see again. I didn’t want to put myself in that position.”
She added, “It happened a long time ago, but it was to protect me and my company from being sued by some very angry celebrities.”
Panettile’s revealing memoir reveals some traumatic experiences in her life, including her complicated relationship with her mother and an unpleasant encounter with an “Oscar-winning actor and director.”
