Hayden Panettiere has a new man in her life! The actress is dating a man named Brian Hickerson after her split from her former fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, a source confirms to Us Weekly.
The 28-year-old Heroes alum was first spotted with Hickerson, also 28, on Thursday, August 2. The twosome were seen having dinner and holding hands at Craig’s in West Hollywood. Panettiere was all smiles leaving the popular Los Angeles hotspot barefoot with her new beau.
The source told Us that Hickerson is from South Carolina, but currently lives in Los Angeles, noting that he “hangs with the L.A. crowd.”
The following day, multiple outlets reported that Panettiere and Klitschko, 42, called it quits after nine years together. The pair, who share 3-year-old daughter Kaya, first started dating in 2009. After a brief split in 2011, the duo got engaged two years later.
A source tells Us that the former professional boxer will “always be protective of Hayden” and “wants her to be happy.”
The source adds that Kaya spends a lot of time with Klitschko and his mother in Europe, but when Panettiere visits, “they spend time together.”
The notoriously private celeb rarely comments on her love life, but Panettiere did shut down rumors she split broke up with Klitschko back in 2016 after she was spotted without her engagement ring.
“Missing rings don’t mean the end of relationships,” she tweeted at the time. “Blessed to be with my beautiful family.”
While it’s unclear when Panettiere and Klitschko officially split, they were last spotted in public together while vacationing in Barbados with their daughter in February.
