Hayden Panettieres Harsh Truth About Child Stardom

Hayden Panettiere has laid bare the price being a child star had on her ability to connect with her peers  - as well as the 'identity crisis' working on camera sparked at age 12. 

Now age 36, Panettiere had a childhood unlike any other with time spent both on the film set and at school. 

It was a world her classmates were unable to understand, and one that made her feel like an outsider in the lunch room.

The painful memories were resurrected by Panettiere as sheduring a discussion at Harmony Gold in Hollywood on Tuesday - where she recalled the dread of having to find a place to sit in the cafeteria. 

'Anyone else struggle with the lunch room, finding a table?' she asked. 'I remember thinking, "Maybe I can get through the day if I just don't have to choose a place to sit in the lunchroom."'

Even once Panettiere found a place to sit, she still struggled to connect with them due to the frequent interruptions work had on her schooling. 

'Because I was on set, I'd missed out on so much,' she said. 'You're sitting there going, "Well, let me tell you about my day on set!"... Who can relate? Nobody could relate at that age.' 

Panettiere shot to fame in 2006 aged 17 playing Claire Bennet - a high-school cheerleader who can spontaneously regenerate - on Heroes.