Hayden Panettiere Breaks Down, Receives Gretchen Wyler Award

Pint-sized Heroes star Hayden Panettiere broke down in tears on Saturday night, when she was awarded the Gretchen Wyler Award at the annual Genesis Awards. The award is given annually to a celebrity who brings awareness to animal causes. Hayden was presented with the award in recognition of her protest against the slaughter of dolphins in Japan last year. The audience - including Hayden's parents and boyfriend Milo Ventimiglia - was given a look at what Hayden did to win the award. The star was given a standing ovation by the audience as she 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. 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 said of her award. Go Hayden!! Watch a video of Hayden and a group of activists from the US and Australia in the water protesting in Japan here.

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