Hayden Panettiere Kiss With Wladimir Klitschko At Miami Heat Game Confirms Couple Is Back Together
Hayden Panettiere kissed former ex-boyfriend Wladimir Klitschko at the Miami Heat game in Florida on Sunday, March 24.
Hayden Panettiere's kiss with Klitschko put rumors that the ex-couple was again dating to rest, confirming that they are indeed very much together.
While the American Airlines Arena watched, 23-year-old Panettiere and 37-year-old Klitschko engaged in some intense kissing.
Actress Hayden Panettiere and her 6'6'' Ukrainian boxing champion ended their relationship in 2011 after dating for two years.
After the couple broke up in 2011, Klitschko told Us Weekly, "We had a great time together but it's not that easy to manage a relationship between two continents. I have a lot of respect for Hayden as a person and as a friend and I believe we'll keep our friendship even after the separation."
Their friendship continued into January of this year, when rumors started popping up suggesting the couple was back together.
Panettiere and Klitschko allegedly reunited in January, and cheered on the Heat on Sunday night to the Miami team's 26th straight victory with a celebratory make-out session.
The public display of affection is a departure from Panettiere's usual denial; in January Panettiere told TMZ that she and 37-year-old Klitschko were "just good buddies." At that point, the Golden Globe nominee for Nashville was recently single. She had just broken up with NFL player Scotty McNight.
An insider told Us Weekly of Panettiere and Klitschko, "They never fell completely out of touch."
Panettiere previously dated Heroes costar Milo Ventimiglia and One Tree Hill cast member Stephen Colletti. But she joked in 2011 that her ideal type is a jock. "See, I date two athletes and then people assume I only like athletes, but if I dated all actors, people wouldn't say anything. But I like [dating athletes]," Panettiere admitted to Us.
She continued, "It's been a really cool thing, because they're in similar circles, where they understand the schedule, the work ethic, the social aspect, but they're not exactly in your industry, so it works out well."