Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
James Blunt has responded to online speculation attempting to identify him as the unnamed British singer-songwriter described by Hayden Panettiere in a distressing yacht encounter in her memoir.
The 52-year-old You’re Beautiful singer shared former showbiz journalist Dean Piper’s Substack article on X – which argued he had nothing to do with the incident – after photographs of James and Hayden together in Cannes in 2009 were circulated online following the actress’s death at 36 on August 16.
Hayden did not name the singer in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, and the Daily Mail said on Tuesday (25.08.26) representatives for James had “categorically denied” suggestions he was the person described in the book.
Dean wrote he had reported on James and Hayden at an amfAR charity event in Cannes in 2009, when they “arrived together, had been flirty throughout and had gone to the afterparty together”.
He added: “They were photographed on a boat the next day, smiling and having fun.”
James shared Dean’s article on X accompanied only by an eyes emoji.
The photograph helped fuel online speculation because Hayden described being aboard a yacht in the South of France when she was 18 and encountering a “famous thirtysomething British singer-songwriter”.
However, Dean pointed out the Cannes photographs were taken in May 2009, when Hayden was 19 and approaching her 20th birthday – making the timing inconsistent with the account in her memoir.
He also noted Hayden and James had been seen socialising before they were photographed on the boat, while her memoir described being taken to meet the unnamed singer.
In This Is Me: A Reckoning, published in May, Hayden wrote she had been travelling aboard a yacht with celebrities in the South of France when a female friend she trusted asked her to go below deck.
Hayden said she entered a private cabin and encountered the unnamed singer-songwriter in bed.
She wrote: “‘Oh my God,’ I thought. ‘Is he naked under there?’”
According to Hayden’s account, her friend then told her: “I want you to get in bed with him,” before leaving the cabin.
Hayden wrote: “My body no longer felt like my own.”
She said her experiences as a child actress, when adults routinely managed aspects of her life and career, had left her accustomed to trusting other people even when her instincts told her otherwise.
Hayden wrote her “survival instinct kicked in” after the door closed and said she told the unidentified man: “Look… I don’t know what she said to you, but this is not going to happen.”
She added she then left the room and returned to her cabin before arranging accommodation on the mainland.
Hayden’s death earlier this month prompted renewed attention on her memoir and the experiences she described in it.
The Heroes and Nashville actress was found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16 and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities have said no foul play is suspected and an autopsy found no signs of trauma, while her official cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has also become involved in the investigation, according to People.
Hayden’s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother were at the residence when emergency services arrived.
Hayden became internationally known as cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes before starring as country singer Juliette Barnes in Nashville, a performance that earned her two Golden Globe nominations.
Her film credits included Remember the Titans, Scream 4 and Scream VI.
James remains best known internationally for his 2005 breakthrough single You’re Beautiful and debut album Back to Bedlam.
The former British Army officer has subsequently released albums including All the Lost Souls, Moon Landing and Who We Used to Be, while also becoming known for his self-deprecating exchanges with followers on social media.
