Hayden Panettiere Reveals New Memoir Details About Troubling Yacht Incident at 18

Hayden Panettiere is opening up further about a viral story from weeks ago, providing fresh details in her newly released memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning.

The actress recounts an incident that took place aboard a yacht when she was 18 years old. According to her account, a person she trusted escorted her into a cramped cabin and positioned her in bed next to a shirtless man she describes as a "famous thirtysomething British singer-songwriter."

Panettiere recalls the moment her companion suggested the encounter, saying: "I want you to get in bed with him. He has a huge dick." The friend then departed, leaving them alone in the space.

In the memoir, Panettiere describes what she observed: "He was shirtless and propped up on a few pillows with his arms positioned behind his head. From the waist down, he was covered by bedsheets, and I could see the outline of his body underneath."

Her protective instincts activated immediately once the door closed. "As soon as the door clicked close, my survival instinct kicked in," she wrote. She promptly told the man: "Look … I don't know what she said to you, but this is not going to happen."

Panettiere expressed deep hurt over the betrayal, reflecting on how this person had previously shown her kindness. "I felt like I'd been kicked in the face," she wrote. "She'd confided in me, pampered me and treated me like her best friend — then turned around and treated me like a call girl."

The incident unfolded during a gathering on a "super yacht" in the South of France with various celebrities present.