Hayden Panettiere has spoken out about the sudden death of her younger brother, Jansen for the first time, revealing his loss led to her becoming virtually unrecognizable.
The Nashville star, 35, was left "heartbroken" in February 2023 when Jansen died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed heart condition at just 28.
"He was my only sibling, and it was my job to protect him," she told People. "When I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul."
Hayden was so distraught that she struggled to leave her home, and her grief led to her body undergoing some "destructive" changes.
"I just ballooned out," she said of her rapid weight gain. "I didn't feel confident to put on clothes and get out of the house.
"But I also knew that I needed to get out and keep moving or I'd never stop looking and feeling this way."
She added: "It became a destructive hamster wheel of, do I feel good enough to go out?"
It wasn't until Hayden was introduced to personal trainer, Marnie Alton last year that she began to see positive changes both physically and mentally.
"My body just started reacting, not just from the working out. It allowed me to release the stress, the high expectations I'd always put on myself," she explained.
"There's nothing like looking in the mirror and feeling like you look good enough to walk out the door," Hayden added.
While Hayden will never be over the loss of her brother, she admits she has gained a new perspective since prioritizing her health.
"When something that massive has happened to you, you really learn to pick your fights and just not let the little things upset you," she shared.
"Because once something so horrific, so deep, so catastrophic happens in your life, there's not much that can really rock you."
She added: "I will always be heartbroken about it. I will never be able to get over it. No matter how many years go by, I will never get over his loss."
Jansen was an actor like his sister and had roles in several 2000s films and television shows, including multiple Nickelodeon and Disney hits, such as Even Stevens with Shia LaBeouf and Christy Carlson Romano, Tiger Cruise and The Martial Arts Kids.
He also had a small role in 2005's Racing Stripes, which starred his sister in a leading role alongside David Spade and Frankie Muniz.
In 2022, he starred in a romantic comedy titled Love and Love Not, and per his IMDb, he was in the process of filming an action movie titled American Game.