A cause for concern. Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend Brian Hickerson’s loved ones are keeping a watchful eye on the couple’s stormy relationship, a source close to Hickerson tells Us Weekly exclusively.
“Brian’s family is extremely concerned for his safety when he is with Hayden,” the source says. “They are terrified that Brian will once again find himself accused of domestic violence. Hayden and Brian are very toxic for each other.”
The couple began dating in August 2018, shortly after Panettiere’s split from her fiancé of nearly five years, Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she shares 4-year-old daughter Kaya.
Hickerson, 30, was arrested for domestic violence in May after an alleged argument with the Nashville alum, also 30. However, the case was dismissed in September; the judge also dismissed a criminal protective order against Hickerson, which had required him to stay 100 yards away from Panettiere.
“The DA has closed the case unless the alleged victim becomes cooperative and wants to proceed,” the source close to Hickerson notes to Us, referencing how the actress declined to participate in a trial.
The Hickerson family’s renewed concerns come after Page Six published a photo of the South Carolina native and Panettiere together at an unidentified airport on Tuesday, November 5.
“Hayden’s family trusts her to make her own decisions and recognizes that Hayden is a strong, intelligent woman who is capable of doing so,” the Heroes alum’s attorney tells Us.
Amid her tumultuous romance with Hickerson, Panettiere has not had much one-on-one time with Kaya, who lives in Ukraine with Klitschko. However, a source told Us in October that the mother-daughter duo FaceTime “often.”
With reporting by Jen Heger and Brody Brown
