Hayden Panettiere Reveals Bisexuality, Dating Women Early

has come out as bisexual after years of feeling 'forced to be perfect' in order to avoid public scrutiny.

'It's sad that I had to wait till I was 36 years old to share that part of me, but better late than never, right?' the Nashville alum told Us Weekly on Wednesday.

'I've chosen to share it with the world, I'm comfortable saying I'm bisexual. I'm comfortable to confidently say that, yes, I am bisexual. I said it!'

Despite having little privacy due to 'paparazzi always outside waiting for me' Panettiere still managed to secretly date women, whom she preferred to men from 'a very, very young age.'

'[I was] much more into women,' the two-time nominee said.

'But, yeah, I have explored it, but I don't think I ever had the courage, because I hadn't shared this with anybody. 

'I didn't really have the courage to throw myself fully, emotionally into it, because then if I did fall in love, that wasn't something that I wanted to ever have to hide. I didn't feel confident enough, and I was too afraid to really let that part of me explore that part of me.' 

Panettiere worried it would look like she was 'jumping on the bandwagon' during a 'period of time, where it felt like people coming out, especially women coming out, and saying that they were bisexual, or liked girls, was a fad.'