Panettiere speaks about Coletti split

Heroes star Hayden Panettiere has revealed that her need for space was behind her split from Stephen Coletti last September.

The actress, who plays Claire Bennet on the NBC show, said she ended her year-long romance with the reality TV star because she was desperate for some time to herself.

She told Seventeen: “I just knew I wanted to breathe. I wanted to be single at the time. It just hit me like a tonne of bricks - this is the time I need to be with myself.”

She added that a relationship with her was far from easy, saying: “It takes such a secure person to be with someone like me; it takes so much confidence and so much trust.”

Panettiere is currently dating co-star Milo Ventimiglia.