"There Was No Swimming Away": Hayden Panettiere Opens Up About a Terrifying Hollywood Encounter

"at the age of just 18 she was brought onto a boat by someone she "had grown to trust and see as a protector and somebody who had my back." The actress says once on the boat, she was led downstairs to a "very small room" and placed in bed next to "this undressed man who was very famous." According to Panettiere, the man's demeanor gave her the impression that having a frightened teenager brought to his bed in the middle of the sea where she can't escape was "just an average day to him.""

"Once again I must say...jail! Jail for all of them! According to Panettiere, it wasn't just the frightening sexual advance by an older "very famous" man that left her reeling-it was how quickly the vibe of the evening had changed. "There were no hints of anything like that happening," She told Shetty. "So it took me by surprise." Though Panettiere doesn't get into specifics about how she avoided the encounter going further, she does say that she was able to flee the situation and hide elsewhere on the boat, "That lion in me, that fire in me...my hair stood on end and I became ferocious. I was like, 'This is not happening.""

"Though Panettiere doesn't get into specifics about how she avoided the encounter going further, she does say that she was able to flee the situation and hide elsewhere on the boat, "That lion in me, that fire in me...my hair stood on end and I became ferocious. I was like, 'This is not happening." Of course, once you're on a boat with a predator and someone you thought was a friend who turns out to be a predator-accomplice, you're kind of stuck."

At age 18, Hayden Panettiere described being brought onto a boat by someone she trusted as a protector. She was led downstairs to a very small room and placed in bed next to a very famous undressed man. His demeanor suggested the situation was ordinary to him, leaving her shocked because there were no hints that anything like that would happen. Panettiere said she was able to flee and hide elsewhere on the boat, describing a surge of fear and ferocity when her hair stood on end. She emphasized the lack of escape options once on the boat with a predator and an accomplice.

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