Nashville is coming back next week, March 16th. There are four episodes left in this season and we haven’t had an update on this show in three months so I’m really excited to see how they wrap it up. (We don’t know yet if the show has been renewed or canceled and a final decision won’t be made until May.) Star Hayden Panettiere went to rehab last October for postpartum depression about ten months after her first child, daughter Kaya, was born. It was reportedly just a coincidence that Hayden’s character Juliette Barnes was also treated for PPD on the show, and Hayden was open about the fact that she suffered postpartum depression as well. In a new interview with Yahoo! Style, Hayden talks about her treatment for depression, about the freedom and love she felt after disclosing her illness with the public, and how it felt to go back to playing Juliette Barnes. Yahoo! reports that Hayden has been on set since January so I’m assuming that she’s going to be in these new episodes to come:

On discussing her PPD with the press
I was always so terrified that people weren’t going to accept me. I finally just went, I’m tired of living afraid. I’m tired of living in fear of what people are going to think, so, you know, I’m just going to put it all out there on the table and I’m not going to worry about the judgment.

The more open I was, the more acceptance I got from people. I got so much support and so much love. I was floored. I feel much more exposed, yes, but in a great way.

On people who claim PPD is not real
It’s like you have no idea what you’re talking about. If you think for one second that a mother wants to feel that way toward her child, you’re outta your mind. It is one of the most debilitating, scary, guilty feelings that you can ever feel. That a mother would not be able to connect with their child, would not be able to get a grip, or would not know what’s going on, for anybody to say that it’s false or created by us, you must have your head examined.

On having to go back to playing a character with PPD
it’s definitely interesting how much it has mirrored my life. It was strange having to throw myself back into that frame of mind. The way I do things is to pull from my own personal experience and sometimes even turn myself into what I’m portraying so that I can pull from my life and step into that person’s shoes by being able to relate.

What’s that line from The Godfather? ‘Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in.’ It’s really so true. We all want to feel better about our lives. We like that drama. Those highs and lows and peaks and valleys of life, that’s what keeps us satisfied. That’s what people like to see.

[From Yahoo! via E! Online]

Hayden is an actress whom I’ve seen grow up through the press. She’s 26 now and I’ve been watching her for at least 10 years. It’s been a pleasure to see how she’s matured and I appreciate how genuine and open she is. At the end of the article she says that she’s happy being herself and that “Confidence in doing your own thing is something that I’m learning more and more and more about, and it feels good.” You can sense that in her interviews and in the image she’s putting out. She recently posted these photos with her fiance, boxing great Wladimir Klitschko, and their daughter, on the beach. They look really happy. I hope things are better for her now.

True love ??? Aww they’re amazing ? #haydenpanettiere #hpiers #wladimirklitschko

A photo posted by ? Hayden Panettiere ? (@haydenpanettier) on Mar 6, 2016 at 5:16pm PST

NEW PHOTOSHOOT ? #haydenpanettiere #hpiers #hayden_updates

A photo posted by ? Hayden Panettiere ? (@haydenpanettier) on Mar 7, 2016 at 6:56am PST

New PHOTOSHOOT ? #hayden_updates #hpiers #haydenpanettiere

A photo posted by ? Hayden Panettiere ? (@haydenpanettier) on Mar 7, 2016 at 6:56am PST

The loves of my life ?? @Klitschko pic.twitter.com/MwpUKRxS4w

— hayden panettiere (@haydenpanettier) March 5, 2016

photo credit: WENN and Yahoo! Style