Hayden Panettiere is finally speaking out out about her father’s 2008 arrest for felony domestic violence against her mother.

Alan Panettiere faced misdemeanor battery charges back in September 2008 after allegedly hitting wife Lesley, leaving her face visibly bruised. After a thorough investigation, police said the incident, which Alan claimed to be a “a big misunderstanding,” involved alcohol.

Classy. Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol.

For the first time ever, Hayden opens up in the July issue of Seventeen magazine admitting that she struggled greatly over her dad’s highly publicized arrest.

“I don’t know that I dealt with it any specific way,” the Heroes star said. “I mean, it’s hard enough going through it personally within your family, let alone when the entire world knows about it.”

Hayden claims she’s very protective over her family and hates the picture the media has created of her father.

“It put my dad in this light that is so not him. You know your mind goes to: ‘He abuses, he beats his wife.’ For my dad to have that reputation now — which is so not who he is — kills me.”

Well, maybe her dad should’ve thought twice about hitting a woman.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 11:45 am
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