British Singer Says He Wasn't The Older Man In Hayden Panettiere's Disturbing Yacht Story

James Blunt is firing back at allegations he was the older “famous thirty-something British singer-songwriter” in Hayden Panettiere’s yacht story.

In her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,”Panettiere writes about when she was 18 years old, and a friend, whom she called Stella in the book, took her on a boat and led her to a room with a “famous thirty-something British singer-songwriter” in it and told her to perform sexual acts on him.

“My body no longer felt like my own,” Panettiere wrote, according to Entertainment Weekly. “The shock was so great it didn’t even occur to me to say no. Stella was one of my closest, most trusted friends, and this couldn’t be real. There was no way she’d ever let anything happen to me.”

Panettiere wrote that she ran out of the room.

“I knew I had to get off this boat, away from this horrible woman and whatever she was up to.”

Internet sleuths tried to figure out who Panettiere was writing about, and rumors flew that it was Blunt, the singer of the 2004 hit song “You’re Beautiful.” Comments flooded Blunt’s Instagram, accusing him of being “disturbing” and calling for justice for Panettiere.

But on Monday, Blunt seemingly hit back at those allegations and shared a Substack article on his social media. In the Substack, Dean Piper, entertainment journalist-turned-public-relations-professional, writes that when Panettiere and Blunt were spotted together on a boat, Panettiere was 19, not 18. Panettiere also wrote that she had never met the man before, which goes against reports that the two had met at a party prior to being seen on a boat together.

Blunt’s reps did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The yacht story has gained renewed attention after Panettiere’s death was announced last week. The 36-year-old known for her work in “Heroes” and “Nashville” has been vocal about her struggles with postpartum depression and substance abuse.

Just a few months before her death, Panettiere opened up about the yacht story in an interview with Jay Shetty, telling the podcaster that by the time she realized she was in danger, she was “quite literally out to sea.”

“I had been having a great time,” she said. “There was no hints of anything like that happening. So I was shocked.”