Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere has spoken for the first time about her split from boyfriend Stephen Colletti, revealing she just wanted some time alone.
The 18-year-old beauty ended her one-year relationship with the "Laguna Beach" star last September, insisting the pair had parted on amicable terms.
Panettiere, who is now dating her "Heroes" co-star Milo Ventimiglia, admits she desperately needed her own space.
She tells Seventeen magazine, "I just knew I wanted to breathe. I wanted to be single at the time. It just hit me like a ton of bricks -- this is the time I need to be with myself."
She also admits she's not an easy girlfriend: "It takes such a secure person to be with someone like me; it takes so much confidence, it takes so much trust."
[640x419]