HEROES star HAYDEN PANETTIERE has dismissed rumours she’s reunited with her socialite ex-boyfriend HARRY MORTON, insisting their relationship is purely platonic.

The actress, 20, has been romantically linked to Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko since December (09), when they were snapped holidaying together in Miami, Florida.

But Panettiere sparked speculation she had split from Klitschko and rekindled her love with Hard Rock Cafe heir Morton after they were spotted enjoying a night out in Los Angeles last week (ends26Feb10).

However, the petite star has shot down talk of a reunion with Morton, telling the New York Post’s gossip column PageSix, “We’re just friends.”

Panettiere and Morton dated briefly last summer (Aug09) following her split from Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia. [source]

Hayden Panettiere has defended the fourth season of Heroes.

Some fans have been unimpressed with the show since its first season back in 2006, but Panettiere - Claire Bennet on the NBC drama - has claimed that the show is still fresh.

“It’s been very new and different,” she said. “On the show you never know what to expect, but this season has been this trip with new people. It’s very much about people with abilities hiding and them coming out.

She added that the current season has seen her character head in a new direction which has not been seen before.

“Claire’s been chasing this normal life, but maybe that’s not what she wanted. She always find a reason to jump back into it - to save people and fix things.”

Heroes concludes its fourth season tonight at 9pm on NBC in the US and continues Saturdays on BBC Two in the UK. [SOURCE]

Heroes star Hayden Panettiere said she’d like to focus on a music career and has been working on an album for three years.

The 20-year-old actress, who is best known for playing cheerleader Claire Bennett in the TV series, released her first single, Wake Up Cll, in 2008 and her vocals have also been featured on several Disney albums.

She said to UK magazine Now: ‘I’d like to focus on music. I’ve been singing for almost as long as I’ve been acting and I love it. It’s just a different way of expressing myself and getting to be me, not having to play anyone else.’

She added: ‘I’ve been working on my album for about three years.’ [SOURCE]

The CW has picked up three dramatic pilots — including shows produced by Heroes’ Hayden Panettiere and Smallville’s Tom Welling, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Panettiere’s HMS follows the lives of a sexy freshman class at Harvard Medical School through the eyes of one of the female students. Amy Holden Jones (Mystic Pizza) wrote the script and will co-exec-produce with Panettiere. [SOURCE]