Washington (ANI): American actress Hayden Panettiere has been honoured with an activism award by the Hollywood Office of the Humane Society of the United States, for her active protest against the annual dolphin slaughter in Southwestern Japan last year.Panettiere was awarded the Gretchen Wyler Award, which is given annually at the Genesis Awards to a celebrity who brings attention to animal causes. Wyler, who founded the awards and was also an actress, died of breast cancer in May 2007, just two months after presenting the first award to Paul McCartney.Hayden's parents and her boyfriend cum Heroes co-star, Milo Ventimiglia were in the audience and watched a video of the actress and others paddling out on surfboards and confronting fishermen, who trap and kill dolphins to protect their fish supply. When the video ended, they gave a standing ovation as a tearful Hayden 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," People quoted her, as saying. "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 added.Beverly Kaskey, Senior Director of the Humane Society's Hollywood Office, said: "She's an inspiring example to her generation, using her compassion, courage and celebrity to help animals in a very effective way."
Heroes star Hayden Panettiere has hit out at the media for printing false stories about her personal life.The 18-year-old, who plays Claire Bennet in the US drama, said she is tired of journalists focusing on her romantic entanglements rather than her work.Contactmusic quotes her as saying: "Nothing is private. And when they write about you, it's almost always completely false. I've never been pregnant, I've never moved in with somebody."There was a story about somebody giving me a ring that had 'Sweet like Hayden' engraved on it, and that person was like, 'Eww, I would never give you that'. And I was like, 'I would never take that'."She added that she had decided to remain tight-lipped on all aspects of her private life from now on, saying: "I'll not comment until the day I die. I'm going to be married and I'll be like, 'I don't know who you're talking about. Who?'"Panettiere is currently dating Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia.