Hayden Panettiere is looking back fondly on her relationship with fellow early 2000s star Stephen Colletti.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, the actress reflected on dating the Laguna Beach alum and how he helped her navigate fame at a young age.
“[He] was able to help guide me through that experience and getting used to that,” Hayden shared, adding that Stephen was “very protective of me.”
And while Stephen was famously caught in the middle of Laguna Beach’s love triangle, Hayden says that wasn’t who he actually was.
The Nashville alum praised the reality star for how he handled public attention, saying he approached the press “very diplomatically.”
“He never appeared to be [or] came off as a bad guy,” she explained.
“So I knew that there was a way to protect yourself and put up boundaries without being offensive or rude.”
Hayden also reacted to the news that Stephen and his wife, Alex Weaver, are expecting a baby together.
“I think he’s about to become a dad and I’m so happy for him,” Hayden added.
“We don’t keep in touch the way that I wish we did, because he’s such a great guy, but there was no drama.”
ICYMI: Hayden and Stephen dated for nearly two years after first being linked in 2006.
According to Hayden, their split at the end of 2007 was far from messy.
