Heating up! Hayden Panettiere is enjoying her new relationship with Brian Hickerson following her split from fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.
Panettiere, 28, has been dating Hickerson “for a couple of months now,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “They both party together and are having fun.”
The Heroes alum has placed acting on the back-burner as she explores her new romance. “Hayden has not shown any interest in getting back into any big roles,” the insider adds.
Panettiere and Hickerson, a South Carolina native living in Los Angeles, first sparked romance rumors on August 2 when they were seen holding hands after dinner at Craig’s in West Hollywood. The following day, reports surfaced that Panettiere and Klitschko, 42, had called it quits after nine years together.
The Nashville actress and the boxer, who share 3-year-old daughter Kaya, “are on great terms and friendly,” E! News reported at the time. “They are a big part of each other’s lives and will continue to be … Kaya is primarily with her dad and his family in Europe and Florida. They also spend time together as a family with Hayden … Hayden is back in Los Angeles and figuring out what’s next.”
Panettiere and Klitschko started dating in 2009. They briefly called it quits in 2011, only to reconcile two years later. They later sparked breakup rumors in July 2016 when the Bring It On actress was seen without her engagement sparkler.
“Missing rings don’t mean the end of relationships,” she tweeted at the time, shutting down the reports, “Blessed to be with my beautiful family.”
