Hayden Panettiere and Wladimir Klitschko Split

Up until a few weeks ago, whenever I heard Hayden Panettiere talk about her and her boyfriend, Ukrainian professional boxer, Wladimir Klitschko, it was all good things and jokes about their height difference.  Sadly, that did not last…

According to People, Panettiere said that the couple’s break-up wasn’t nasty, and more of a parting of ways:

“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.”

Klitschko also gave his own view on the split.  The 35-year-old (and 15″ taller) boxer attributes their split to long distance:

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

Klitschko recently attended the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of the documentary based on his life, KLITSCHKO, and Panettiere just released SCREAM 4, and is preping for the release of her next film, CARMEL.