Actress Hayden Panettiere has revealed she became addicted to alcohol and opioids which left her in a "cycle of self-destruction".
In an interview with People magazine, the 32-year-old Heroes star said she was offered "happy pills" from the age of 15 before walking red carpets and had only recently got "over the hump" of the addiction that ensued.
Panettiere also used the interview to reflect on her severe postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter.
The actress, who was a star by age 11 after roles in soap operas and Remember the Titans, told the magazine that she was introduced to substances as a child star.
She said: "They were to make me peppy during interviews.
"I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what door that would open for me when it came to my addiction."
Her career continued to progress as she landed lead roles in superhero drama Heroes and the series Nashville.
Panettiere admitted her "saving grace" was that she could not be "messy" while on set but said things "kept getting out of control" outside of her work.
"As I got older, the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn't live without," she added.
After giving birth to her daughter Kaya, who she shares with her former partner Wladimir Klitschko, she suffered severe postpartum depression.
She admitted that despite seeking treatment, she continued to struggle and became increasingly dependent on alcohol.
Panettiere said this tested her relationship with Klitschko who she said "didn't want to be around" her anymore.
She added: "I didn't want to be around me. But with the opiates and alcohol I was doing anything to make me feel happy for a moment.
"Then I'd feel worse than I did before. I was in a cycle of self-destruction."
Source: Press Association
