Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere has to work extra hard at her relationship with co-star Milo Ventimiglia, because they constantly face negative opinions about the age difference in their romance.

The 18-year-old began dating Ventimiglia, 30, after they met on the set of the hit TV show - but faced a barrage of criticism over the 12-year age gap between them.

Panettiere is convinced that although there are advantages to dating a fellow celebrity, they have to make an extra effort to ensure their relationship survives the stresses of the Hollywood industry.

And keeping their love affair as private as possible is her top priority.

She says, "It's nice to be in the same industry. You often get invited to the same things, which is handy!

"(But) there is no good thing about being a couple in Hollywood. People make their own opinions about everything, and they like to be very judgemental about things they know nothing about.

"You just have to hope that if you don't put it out there too much then they will have less to say about it."