Hayden Panettiere Opens Up About Postpartum Depression Battle: 'I'm All the Stronger For It'

Hayden Panettiere is opening up about her battle with postpartum depression.

The 27-year-old Nashville star was featured on Good Morning America on Thursday (January 5) in New York City ahead of the season 5 premiere later tonight.

“It takes you a while and you feel off,” Hayden said, after giving birth to daughter Kaya. “You don’t feel like yourself.”

“Women are so resilient, and that’s the incredible thing about them. I think I’m all the stronger for it. I think I’m a better mom because of it because you never take that connection for granted,” Hayden continued.

Click inside to read more about what Hayden Panettiere said…

“I’m feeling great,” Hayden said about her current state. “I’m so glad to be back playing Juliette. Everything she’s been through has been like a hazard sign in the road. She made me stronger. I feel like she’s a phoenix. She crashes and burns and then she rises from the ashes and she always takes the lesson and becomes stronger for it.

“I think it helped me identify what was going on. And to let women know that it’s OK to ask for help and it’s OK to have a moment of weakness. It doesn’t make you a bad person, doesn’t make you a bad mother. It makes you a very strong, resilient woman. You’ve just got to let it make you stronger,” Hayden added about Juliette’s struggles with postpartum.