Hayden Panettiere‘s mother, Lesley Vogel, is speaking out amid the release of her daughter’s memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
While promoting the book, which includes various claims about the relationship between herself and her mother who formerly manager her career, the 36-year-old Scream actress revealed that the two are currently estranged.
Hayden Panettiere Says She’s Estranged From Her Mother
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a relationship right now. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day,” Hayden said of their relationship at the moment to Us Weekly.
Lesley Vogel Responds to Claims in the Memoir
Lesley responded in a statement, saying to Page Six that “the present drama is partially to sell books,”
“There is a personality ‘style’ which manifests as a need for control, entitlement and a lack of empathy. The major fear is that someone will see through the mask they present to the world and discover who they truthfully are,” Lesley went on to say, claiming “this condition cannot be ‘fixed,” regardless of “continual efforts to support” or “comfort.”
No matter the “encouragement given, it will never be enough,” Lesley went on to tell Page Six.
She added: “this personality style does not accept responsibility for life choices and therefore feels they have no need to alter their behavior. After 20 years of trauma, I took the advice of professionals and chose the no-contact route. As many parents of entertainment children [know], we are all too familiar with the painful observation of watching the self-destructive paths they sometimes choose. No parent hopes for this scenario; we want our children to be the best of themselves and live a peaceful, joyful life!”
“Sadly, this is out of our control. You cannot save someone who does not want to be saved. Radical acceptance is the most difficult challenge any parent must embrace. Unfortunately, I have seen a great deal of such in my life experience,” Lesley claimed.
“When someone leaves, the smear campaign begins; accusations, anger, belittling, gaslighting, etc. are the classic signs of this behavior style. The craving of drama and punitive action is traditional and to be expected.”
Lesley added that she is “now retired” and searches for her “personal path to a joyous and peaceful life,” while going on to say “there is always that flicker of hope [that Hayden], too, will find her path to inner peace.”
Hayden Says She Was “Scared” of Her Mom Growing Up
Hayden started modeling at eight months old and quickly became a child star afterward. She talked about how hard her mom was on her back then, and how she is now using this book to finally confront her mother in some ways.
“This is my way of doing it,” Hayden said, acknowledging how “scared” she was of her mom back then and the fear that her honest feelings would not get “any positive reaction.” Find out what else she said.
Her ex, Brian Hickerson, also spoke about her abuse allegations in the book.
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