Several months after actress Hayden Panettiere‘s ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson was facing a felony charge as a result of a domestic violence incident involving Panettiere, the former couple is now back together.
As Mamas Uncut previously reported, Hickerson was facing charges after he allegedly hit Panettiere during a dispute in May. His arrest came after authorities confirmed that there was evidence of “redness and marks” on Panettiere’s body following the alleged altercation.
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When news broke that the actress’s boyfriend was arrested for the domestic assault, it was also revealed that Panettiere’s 4-year-old daughter, Kaya, has been living in Ukraine for over a year with her father, former professional boxer, Wladimir Klitschko. Panettiere and Klitschko were engaged before they ended their relationship in August 2018.
In July, two months after the initial fight between Panettiere and Hickerson, the charge against the actor was reportedly dropped. However, according to Us Magazine, a judge told Hickerson that there was enough evidence to still charge him and issued a restraining order against 30-year-old forcing him to stay away from Panettiere.
Now, as Page Six reports, Panettiere and Hickerson were spotted walking side-by-side through an airport roughly a month after the domestic violence charge and the restraining order were dropped. In a statement given to Page Six in September, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Greg Risling said:
“The case against Brian Hickerson was dismissed without prejudice [Thursday.] Our office was unable to proceed because we could not secure a material witness. The protective order also was dismissed.” The charge and restraining order were dropped the same month Panettiere was allegedly seen holding Hickerson’s brother’s hand.
And her family does not approve of their reported reconnection. A source told People that Panettiere family still “don’t approve of the relationship. They are not fans of Brian. It’s clear that he has issues of his own, not to mention the anger issues, which is obviously a big one.”
Nonetheless, in response to the rumors, Panettiere’s attorney Andrew Brettler told People that “Hayden is a strong, intelligent woman who is capable of making her own decisions.”
And US Magazine is also reporting that a source with reported knowledge of Panettiere’s relationship with her young daughter has revealed that nothing has changed. Kaya still resides in Ukraine with her father, whom she adores, and Panettiere visits as often as she can. And when she can’t, she relies on FaceTime for communication.
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Panettiere said of her and Klitschko’s current relationship in a statement back in February; “We’re still respectful of each other, and we still have that friendship with each other. It’s not a situation that you find yourself in all that often, so it’s a new one. But I think we’ve done a really good job.”
The actress has yet to issue a statement regarding the current rumors that she and Hickerson are back together following the sighting of them together.