Hayden Panettiere and Wladimir Klitschko are giving their romance a second chance. The Nashville actress and the Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion ended their relationship in May 2011 following a two-year courtship.
Panettiere went on to date NFL player Scotty McKnight from June 2011 to December 2012. Shortly after their split, the 23-year-old actress was spotted with Klitschko in Florida. “They never fell completely out of touch,” an insider explained to Us Weekly.
On Jan. 8, the two were spotted partying together at Zuma in Miami. Three days later, the 36-year-old, 6-foot-6 athlete was spotted dropping the 5-foot-2 Golden Globe nominee off at the airport. “We’ve been friends for five years now,” Panettiere told TMZ. “We’re just good buddies.”
When pressed about a romantic reconciliation, Panettiere giggled and insisted, “We’re just friends!”
Despite Panettiere’s repeated denial, the pair certainly seem to be an item again. On Feb. 18, the pair were photographed cuddling on a couch at Taco Beach Shack in Hollywood, Florida.
Panettiere, whose exes include Heroes‘ Milo Ventimiglia and One Tree Hill‘s Stephen Colletti, joked about her affinity for jocks in a 2011 interview with Us. “See, I date two athletes and then people assume I only like athletes, but if I dated all actors, people wouldn’t say anything,” she laughed. “But I like [romancing athletes]. It’s been a really cool thing because they’re in similar circles, where they understand the schedule, the work ethic, the social aspect, but they’re not exactly in your industry, so it works out well.”
