Heroes star Hayden Penettiere has admitted she finds it difficult to tell men she just wants to be friends.

The 19-year-old actress, whose recent boyfriends have included Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia and presenter Steve Jones, said she's afraid to hurt a man's feelings.

"I'm not good at learning that sometimes you don't like someone in that way - and figuring out how to deal with that,” she told Seventeen. “I don't want to hurt his feelings.

"Right now, I'm just enjoying having fun. It's when you're not looking for anything that something winds up coming along, whether it's a best friend or a guy."

Penettiere, who plays Clare Bennett in Heroes, is currently starring in the teen comedy I Love You, Beth Cooper.

The movie has been adapted from a book by Simpsons' writer Larry Doyle, which follows a teenager's disastrous last day at high school.

Hayden Penettiere