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  (Photo: Twitter/HaydenPanettiere)
  Actress Hayden Panettiere

Hayden Panettiere and Scotty McKnight have broken up, according to reports. The "Nashville" star and former NFL New York Jets player had been dating for over a year before the split.

Hayden Panettiere and Scotty McKnight first began dating in June of 2011, but even though they have broken up, it is reportedly amicable, and the pair remains "really good friends," according to TMZ. In fact, the break-up could lead to other interactions later on, according to reports.

"They will probably be back together sometime down the road," a source told the celebrity entertainment site.

There are rumors that the distance between the two could have been factor that led up to the split. The 23-year-old actress and the 24-year-old football player had "distance and different personalities" that broke them apart, Us Weekly reported.

Panettiere attributed her dating of McKnight, currently a free agent wide receiver, to her love of sports and having a lot of male friends around- that helped her to relate to the NFL player.

"I've always been that girl who has a lot of dude friends," she previously told Us Weekly. "I'm into sports, so Scotty and I have a lot in common."

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The breakup comes as a surprise to the public, as Panettiere was quoted talking about her seemingly healthy romance with McKnight just a month ago.

"Mine's pretty," she told "Access Hollywood" of McKnight while smiling. "He's prettier than me."

In October, she and McKnight were spotted out with Mark Sanchez and Eva Longoria, reported The New York Post's Page Six. They all went to see the Broadway show "Newsies," and things appeared to be fine between the couple then as well.

Still, this isn't the first time Panettiere has publicly split from a boyfriend. She dated heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko previously, breaking up with him in May 2011 after two years together. Before that, she dated former "Heroes" co-star Milo Ventimiglia from December 2007 to February 2009.