Hayden Panettiere stops apologising to co-star

Hayden Panettiere says her relationship with her Nashville co-star Connie Britton has changed.

The blonde actress explained how different her part as the catty and ruthless Juliette Barnes in the popular US TV drama series is compared to her last role.

Previously Hayden starred as good-girl-next-door figure Claire in long-running TV show Heroes, which is a world away from her latest character.

Hayden discussed the difficulties she had to overcome in getting to grips with playing the mouthy, ambitious career girl in Nashville. Her main issue was adjusting to being mean to her on-screen rival Rayna Jaymes, played by Connie.

"After every scene I would be apologising to her," Hayden recalled to British magazine Grazia.

"But now we're friends we can really go after each other, push each other's buttons and be as b***hy as possible!"

Hayden is quick to defend her new character's cold personality. The 23-year-old actress says to some extent Juliette's flaws are the result of her being hurt in the past.

"She's sassy and she is the villain in certain ways, but she's also a very damaged girl," Hayden revealed. "She's looking for love in all the wrong places.”