James Blunt Pushes Back on Claims He's Singer From Hayden Panettiere Yacht Story

James Blunt is throwing cold water on claims that he's the naked British singer Hayden Panettiere said she was forced into a bed with on a yacht when she was just 18.

James shared a Substack article on social media Monday that argues he is NOT the unnamed singer-songwriter from Hayden's memoir.

In her 2026 book, Hayden wrote she was 18 when a friend brought her onto a yacht to meet a British singer-songwriter in his 30s ... only for her to walk into a cabin and find the man naked in bed.

Lots of folks are convinced James is the unnamed celeb ... but in the Substack article, journalist Dean Piper says the timeline doesn't fit ... pointing out Hayden was 19, nearly 20, in 2009 when she was photographed with James in Cannes.

The photo and a 2009 article Piper wrote about Hayden and James being flirty at a charity event the day before being spotted on a boat together sparked the rumors.

Piper says if the alleged encounter happened when Hayden was 18, there's no way James was involved.

He says a couple of other factors rule James out ... including the size of his penis.

James hasn't directly denied the claim himself ... but sharing a piece that does the denying for him sends a pretty clear message.

The post comes just over a week after Hayden died at 36.