Firstly, show creator Tim Kring would like to reassure those worried by rumors of a Hayden/Milo feud that neither Claire nor Peter Petrelli will get the axe as a result of the actors' split; any death or disappearance will happen for other reasons entirely:

The final decision about which characters live and die on Heroes rests with me... I've made no announcement yet as to who will return and who won't.

(Psst, Tim? If you don't make an announcement, then it'll be more surprising when it actually happens on the show. Just sayin'.)

As if that's not enough, Hayden Panatierre is also denying the rumors:

Milo and I are very close... We have enjoyed and continue to enjoy working together.

But that's not all; those rumors about Ali Larter leaving the show? Also bunk, according to recently-returned producer Bryan Fuller, who told Entertainment Weekly:

She's not going anywhere... I've never seen somebody so committed to the show as Ali, and the show is absolutely committed to Ali.

Fuller also promises that the show is building to Larter's character, Tracy, ending the season in "a fantastic way." But what is the world coming to when all of these anonymous rumors turn out to be false? Is nothing sacred?

The rumor that either Panettierre or Ali Larter was looking to leave NBC's superhero series broke last month, but Panettierre was playing it dumb when approached by Access Hollywood about the rumor:

I know nothing about that, so you got me. They are [just] rumors... We're not yet done with this season... It's the beginning of a new story so it's real exciting.

Does this mean that Larter is the actress that wants out? If so, you couldn't blame her; her original character was killed off and replaced with the less-complex (and I say that within the context of Heroes, which is hardly high-brow stuff) Tracy Strauss, who was also pretty much left in the background of the third season to date. Should we wait for Larter to deny the rumors now... Or for Tracy to be one of the cast who meets their end during "Fugitives"?

Hayden plays down 'Heroes' exit report [Digital Spy]