Showbiz
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The Heroes actress had sparked rumours of a romance with Connolly, who plays Eric Murphy in the HBO series, after the pair were spotted together at an Emmy Awards after-party earlier this month.
Speaking to Just Jared, she said: "I've known Kevin for so long.
"You can't have friends with the opposite sex. It's so funny. We're just friends."
Panettiere split from Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia in February and was recently linked to T4 host Steve Jones and Lindsay Lohan's ex-boyfriend Harry Morton.
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