Friday, May 13, 2011

Hayden Panettiere Splits with Boxer Wladimir Klitschko

Hayden Panettiere is on the market again.

The 21-year-old actress and her boyfriend Wladimir Klitschko have called off their two-year romance, according to People.com.

“Even though we’ve decided splitting up is best for both of us, we have an amazing amount of love and respect for each other and remain very close friends,” Panettiere explained.

Klitschko, the reigning IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight champion, has blamed the break-up on their struggle to maintain a long-distance relationship. Panettiere lives in the United States, while the 35-year-old Ukrainian fighter is based in Germany.

“We had a great time together, but it’s not that easy to manage a relationship between two continents,” Klitschko said. “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.”

The pair, who met in 2009 at a New York party, were last seen together late last month for the premiere of Klitschko, a documentary about Wladmir and his brother Vitali’s boxing careers.