Hayden Panettiere ‘ballooned out’ with weight gain after death of her brother aged 28-Lillie Rohan-Entertainment – Metro

Hayden Panettiere (R) has opened up about the heartbreaking loss of her brother Jansen Panettiere (Picture: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)

Hayden Panettiere has made a heartbreaking confession 18 months after the shock death of her younger brother. 

Jansen Panettiere was found dead in his New York apartment in February 2023, with his parents, Lesley Vogul and Skip Panettiere, revealing in a statement the 28-year-old had died of ‘cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) coupled with aortic valve complications.’ 

Jansen’s death left a hole in the Panettiere family’s hearts with Hayden, 35, revealing in a recent interview the loss of her only sibling also resulted in devastating health effects for her personally.

Speaking out for the first time since he passed, Hayden said Jansen’s death is something she will ‘never be able to get over.’

‘He was my only sibling, and it was my job to protect him. When I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul,’ she told People magazine. 

‘I will always be heartbroken about it. I will never be able to get over it. No matter how many years go by, I will never get over his loss.’

Hayden said she will ‘never be able to get over’ her brother’s death (Picture: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

The siblings were both actors (Picture: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)

Opening up about how the loss impacted her health, both physically and mentally, the Scream actress said his death, along with seeing photos of herself leaving his funeral, contributed to her developing agoraphobia.

Agoraphobia is described by the NHS as a mental and behavioural disorder causing symptoms of anxiety and feelings of being unsafe in your environment. 

Noting that her ‘stress and cortisol’ levels skyrocketed as she went through the processes of grief, she said she ‘ballooned out’ with weight gain, which left her not wanting to leave her home.

‘I didn’t feel confident to put on clothes and get out of the house, but I also knew that I needed to get out and keep moving or I’d never stop looking and feeling this way,’ she said.

‘It became a destructive hamster wheel of, do I feel good enough to go out?’

In the 18 months since her brother’s death, Hayden has started working with a personal trainer who she said she immediately trusted and after training sessions in which they would go for long walks and talk about Hayden’s pain, she started releasing her stress.

The Scream actress suffered mental and physical effects after Jansen’s death (Picture: Paula Lobo/ABC via Getty Images)

Jansen died in February last year from cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) and aortic valve complications (Picture: James Devaney/WireImage)

The actress said she also has a new perspective, noting that when something of this magnitude happens, it teaches you to ‘learn to pick your fights’ and stop letting the little things upset you.

‘Once something so horrific, so deep, so catastrophic happens in your life, there’s not much that can really rock you,’ she said.

Jansen was found dead by a group of friends who visited him at his Nyack home and found him lying on his back in the living room.

While brother to his famous sister, Jansen carved his own path in the entertainment industry and was most well known for his role as Casper in popular Zombie series, The Walking Dead.

He also starred in the Nickelodeon drama The Xs, as well as Third Watch, Hope & Faith and Everybody Hates Chris.

Hayden said ‘ it was my job to protect him’ (Picture: KMazur/WireImage for ABC Cable Networks Group)

The actress has since gained a new perspective on life (Picture: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

His family shared an emotional statement after his death, praising his ‘charisma’ and ‘creative spirit’.

‘Jansen’s heart could be seen in his eyes, and his charm in his brilliant, engaging smile; his soul in his masterful and revealing paintings, and the joy of life in his dry wit,’ they said.

In the message, they also took a moment to thank everyone who had reached out over the news.

‘We sincerely appreciate the outpouring of love and support towards our family as we navigate this unthinkable loss, and ask that we be gifted our privacy during this time of mourning’, the message, shared with ABC News, concluded.

‘We love you so much Jansen and you will be in our hearts forever.’

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