Panettiere 'asked for lesbian storyline'

Rex Features

Hayden Panettiere has revealed that she asked Heroes writers for a lesbian storyline.

Panettiere's character Claire Bennett will have a romance with her college roommate, played by Madeleine Zima, in future episodes of the show.

"I kinda threw it out there," Contactmusic quotes her as saying. "[The writers] put you in relationships and I was like, 'Can I just be with a girl or something? Let's do that'.

"So they took it and ran with it. She's a great girl... and we have a blast."

The new series of Heroes is currently suffering from declining ratings in the US.