Hayden Panettiere Breaks Down, Receives Gretchen Wyler Award

Pint-sized Heroes star Hayden Panettiere broke down in tears on Saturday night, when she was awarded the Gretchen Wyler Award at the annual Genesis Awards. The award is given annually to a celebrity who brings awareness to animal causes. Hayden was presented with the award in recognition of her protest against the slaughter of dolphins in Japan last year. The audience - including Hayden's parents and boyfriend Milo Ventimiglia - was given a look at what Hayden did to win the award. The star was given a standing ovation by the audience as she took the stage. "As an actress, you always dream of getting awards like the Golden Globe award, but I never expected to get an award that is this special and important to me as this. There are people who dedicate their entire lives to preserving the environment and defending animals, they are so much more deserving of something like this," she said of her award. Go Hayden!! Watch a video of Hayden and a group of activists from the US and Australia in the water protesting in Japan here.

Picture by Getty Images

Hayden: Why I Dumped Stephen

Starlet Hayden Panettiere spills to Seventeen magazine on why she broke up with Laguna Beach alum Stephen Colletti last September. "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. It takes such a secure person to be with someone like me—it takes so much confidence; it takes so much trust," the Heroes cheerleader said of the split. Currently dating co-star Milo Ventimiglia, it seems Hayden didn't like being single for the short space of time she was! Colletti on the other hand, didn't seem too phased by the break-up - it's been reported he and former LB co-star Lauren Conrad have been hooking up in the last months.

Cover from Seventeen.com