Child stars are ten a penny in Hollywood these days but few have managed to stay on the straight and narrow. Former Heroes star turned Nashville sweetheart Hayden Panettiere is up there with the good'uns though, and she's now revealed that she was offered drugs and alcohol as a child star.
However, unlike many of her counterparts she actually turned down the free booze, and credits her family and friends with making sure she always had the support she needed. 'I'm no different to anyone else and those same doors were opened to me and they are very easy to walk through - drugs, alcohol, being in inappropriate places where you shouldn't be at a certain age," she told BBC Breakfast. "It's a very tough position to be in but I had great people to pull me back from it."
That didn't mean it wasn't a bit difficult growing up in the spotlight though: Hayden says being tarred with the same brush as other wild child actresses really got on her goat. "Being a young female growing up in this industry is tough. And I grew up in the generation of the wild child. I was guilty by association. So everyone sits there and waits for you to fall of your horse," she explained.
"But as long as you have people who are willing to tell you the truth and are not afraid to tell you the truth, and who are there to yank you back when you need it and give you a reality check, it makes a world of difference."
Nice to hear from someone with their head screwed on for a change, eh?
