Hayden Panettiere Steps out Without Her Engagement Ring After Seeking Help for Postpartum Depression

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Hayden Panettiere (Photo: Splash News)

In May, Hayden Panettiere announced she sought holistic help for her continued struggles with postpartum depression. And nearly two months later, the actress was spotted for the first time in New York City on Monday.

Dressed in a plaid shirt and blue leggings, Panettiere, 26, had her nose in the book Underboss: Sammy The Bull Gravano’s Story of Life in the Mafia while sitting on a stoop and smoking a cigarette. Missing on her left ring finger was her six-carat engagement ring from fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.

Panettiere and Klitschko, 40, began dating in 2009 but split in 2011. The pair reconciled two years later in early 2013. Recently, the actress had called her fiancé one of the “loves of [her] life” during the couple’s March beach outing with their daughter Kaya Evdokia, who will turn 19 months old on Saturday.

Photo: Splash News

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The Nashville star first sought treatment for postpartum depression in October 2015 after giving birth to the couple’s daughter, who is now 18 months. And Panettiere has never been ashamed to talk about her battle with postpartum depression.

“There’s a lot of misunderstanding — there’s a lot of people out there that think it’s not real, that’s it not true, that it’s something that’s made up in their minds, that ‘Oh, it’s hormones,’ ” she said prior to her very first treatment. “They brush it off. It’s something that’s completely uncontrollable. It’s really painful and it’s really scary, and women need a lot of support.”

And in May, the mother of one tweeted, “The postpartum depression I have been experiencing has impacted every aspect of my life. Rather than stay stuck due to unhealthy coping mechanisms I have chosen to take time to reflect holistically on my health and life.”

Panettiere’s N.Y.C. outing comes a week after it was reported that she would return to Nashville for season 5 when it moves to CMT. Panettiere is expected to reprise her role as Juliette Barnes, who also suffered from postpartum on the show, along with series regular Connie Britton.