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Hayden Panettiere withdrew from a scheduled gig at a fan convention at the last minute, over what the Daily Mail has exclusively learned is a family emergency.
The 36-year-old was slated to appear this weekend at Creep I.E. Aftermath, which is being held in the Southern California town of Ontario.
However the organizers revealed Friday afternoon that the former child star had been forced to cancel, and that they had consequently secured a replacement.
Hayden Panettiere has an emergency and will not be able to attend this weekend,' they said: 'we are looking forward to her appearing at an upcoming show.'
Panettiere's representative told the Daily Mail: 'Hayden cancelled her appearance due to a private family matter concerning the health of an elderly relative.'
Creep I.E. Aftermath has announced that Dominique Swain, who starred in Face/Off and as the title character in the 1997 film of Lolita, is filling in for her.
In 2018, in order to devote herself to her recovery from her personal demons, Panettiere voluntarily gave up custody of her now 11-year-old daughter Kaya.
Kaya was handed over to the care of her father, Ukrainian boxing star Wladimir Klitschko, with whom Panettiere now shares an amicable co-parenting bond.
'Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life,' Panettiere wrote in her book: 'and it’s hard to describe the layers of emotion - including sadness, resentment, and anger - I’ve felt because of it.'
Panettiere struggled with alcohol and opiates until she finally achieved sobriety following an eight-month stint in rehab in 2020.
