Hayden Panettiere was riddled with "guilt" when she was "incapable" of raising her daughter Kaya.

The Heroes actress, 36, welcomed her little girl, who is now 11 years old, with boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014 but she struggled with crippling personal issues in the years that followed which led to the breakdown of the relationship with Hayden relinquishing custody of Kaya to the sportsman. Kaya now lives in Ukraine with her father, and Hayden admits she still struggles with the impact of the huge decision but it was the best thing for her daughter.

According to the New York Post's PageSix column, Hayden opened up about her issues during a panel discussion for her new book This Is Me: A Reckoning in West Hollywood, California earlier this week. Hayden explained: "The worst thing that somebody said to me is that it [losing custody] was a personal choice that I was making.

"Who would choose to feel like this? Like, how could you even say that to me? This beautiful child is healthy and everything to celebrate.

"And I'm completely incapable of doing it. I felt so guilt ridden that I was incapable of doing it."

The Nashville star went on to reveal she was left devastated when she saw a magazine cover emblazoned with the headline: "Why Hayden Panettiere Gave Up Her Daughter."

She said: "You might as well have taken a knife and stabbed me in the heart. If anyone knew me, they [would] know that I would do absolutely anything for my daughter. And sometimes that means not what you want as a mom or what's going to make you feel good as a parent, but what's best for them."

Hayden has previously revealed she keeps in touch with her daughter even though she's far away and visits her as often as possible in war-torn Ukraine.

During an appearance on CBS Sunday Mornings, she explained: "I'm so blessed to have a great relationship with her. I fly over there as much as I can. I'm on FaceTime with her all the time. She's now 11 years old, and she's calling Mommy more and more.

"She actually called me and FaceTimed me the other day, and she calls me 'Britney.' She goes, 'Hey Britney'. It took me a second, and I realized she was talking about [her character in movie] Bring It On, because her friends are fans of Bring It On."