Where is Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter now? Dannielynn Birkhead, 16, enjoys a quiet life out of the spotlight – apart from special annual tribute to her mother and cute Instagram snaps with her dad Larry
- Dannielynn Birkhead was just five months old when her mother Anna Nicole died
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Dannielynn Birkhead was just five months old when her mother Anna Nicole Smith died of a prescription drug overdose aged 39 on February 8, 2007.
Anna Nicole gained early fame as a model for Guess and Playboy magazine before later becoming known for her marriage to 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall when she was just 26.
But while her American mother – whose rollercoaster life mirrored the tragic circumstances of Anna Nicole’s heroine Marilyn Monroe – was no stranger to fame, Dannielynn prefers to shy away from the spotlight.
In May 2021, her father and Anna Nicole’s ex Larry Birkhead told TMZ that his 16-year-old daughter has said no to several modelling and acting gigs over the years.
American celebrity photographer Larry, 50, said acting really isn’t Dannielynn’s ‘thing’ and admitted she doesn’t have a manager or modelling portfolio, preferring to stay out of the limelight.
Dannielynn Birkhead was just five months old when her mother Anna Nicole Smith (pictured together) died of a prescription drug overdose aged 39 on February 8, 2007
However the father-daughter duo make an exception for Janet Jackson concerts, adorable Instagram snaps together shared on Larry’s public social media page and the Kentucky Derby.
The annual American horse racing event is a fixed fixture in the pair’s calendar and holds a special place in the family’s heart as Larry met Anna there in 2004 when she was photographed in a famed pink hat.
At the time of the birth of Dannielynn, Anna Nicole insisted the child’s father was her lawyer Howard K Stern and had his name placed on the birth certificate.
Yet, following her death in a Florida hotel room in 2007, Larry managed to successfully prove that he was Dannielynn’s father and secured custody, bringing her to live with him in Kentucky.
Anna Nicole’s marriage to the billionaire Marshall should have entitled the former model to a share of his fortune, with some of that passing to Dannielynn.
But despite being regularly touted as one of the richest children in America, Dannielynn was not entitled to any share of Marshall’s estate following a court case in 2014 which ruled Anna Nicole’s estate was not due to inherit anything from her late husband.
Speaking to Inside Edition in 2017, Larry said: ‘We saw a video on YouTube that she was one of the 10 richest kids in America. Then she wanted to go to the mall. And I’m like, “No, it’s not that. Trust me, it’s not that”.’
In the programme, Larry also took the opportunity to deny claims that there had been a rift with Anna Nicole’s mother, Virgie Arthur.
While her American mother – whose rollercoaster life mirrored the tragic circumstances of Anna Nicole’s heroine Marilyn Monroe – was no stranger to fame, Dannielynn (pictured with her father Larry in 2014 at the Kentucky Derby) prefers to shy away from the spotlight
In May 2021, her father and Anna Nicole’s ex Larry Birkhead told TMZ that his 16-year-old daughter (pictured together) has said no to several modelling and acting gigs over the years
He said: ‘I’ve never talked about that before, but I get hurt by that headline. Anna’s mom has seen Dannielynn, she’s seen her a few times. I say that only because I want the story to stop.
‘If Anna’s mom wants to see Dannielynn, she knows how to get a hold of me and she can call me anytime.’
Despite her famous mother, Dannielynn has a normal life living in Louisville, Kentucky, where she reportedly enjoys singing and dancing.
Three days after Dannielynn was born, Anna Nicole’s 20-year-old son from her first marriage, Daniel, died of a drug overdose.
Larry said: ‘I think she died of a broken heart because of her son. She never recovered.’
Anna Nicole was performing in a strip club when she met the elderly oil tycoon J Howard Marshall, and became an instant sensation after featuring on the cover of Playboy and replacing Claudia Schiffer as the model for Guess jeans.
She married Marshall in 1994 – she was 26 to his 89 – and his death a year later sparked a long court battle between Anna Nicole and the Marshall family over the tycoon’s £1 billion estate.
She began dating Larry, a photographer, in 2004, ‘but it wasn’t an easy relationship,’ he admitted in 2013 in the documentary Life After Anna Nicole.
‘She had an entourage and that got in the way sometimes, but I loved her and we talked about marriage. I was just some guy – I never thought I’d have a chance with Anna Nicole Smith, but we ended up having a child together.’
American celebrity photographer Larry (pictured with his daughter in 2022), 50, said acting really isn’t Dannielynn’s ‘thing’ and admitted she doesn’t have a manager or modelling portfolio, preferring to stay out of the limelight
However the father-daughter duo make an exception for Janet Jackson concerts, adorable Instagram snaps together shared on Larry’s public social media page and the Kentucky Derby
To preserve Anna Nicole’s status as a sex symbol she insisted they keep their relationship a secret, and she only informed Larry he was to be a father via a text message.
‘But I really wanted to be there at the birth,’ he said. ‘I pictured myself in the delivery room and I thought the worst thing that could happen was that I’d faint. I was so wrong.’
Without warning, Anna Nicole decamped to the Bahamas with her lawyer, Howard K Stern, and a couple of months later, in September 2006, gave birth to Dannielynn – news Larry only learned after paying a subscription fee to access Anna Nicole’s website.
‘I’d been planning on being there for the birth, and then one day it was just ripped from me. It was puzzling when she took off. I never saw her again, so we didn’t have any kind of closure.’
Larry had become embroiled in a custody battle over Dannielynn after several men came forward claiming to be the father, including Anna Nicole’s lawyer Howard K Stern, a previous boyfriend Mark Hatten and, most bizarrely, Zsa Zsa Gabor’s husband Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, who claimed to have had a ten-year affair with her.
‘It hadn’t mattered to me that Anna had wanted to keep our relationship secret, but when I had to prove paternity it became difficult. I only had about 20 pictures of us together but I could have been a fan, anyone.’
In the end, while Dannielynn was living in the Bahamas with Stern, DNA tests confirmed Larry was the father. ‘I didn’t get to see my daughter for months, but I’ve got her now and that’s all that matters.’
Though he insists he wants to keep Dannielynn out of the limelight, Larry let her do a photoshoot for Guess jeans like her mother. ‘Dannielynn loves the Guess pictures of Anna,’ he said, ‘It’s like a connection to her. It’s not a regular thing though.’
Dannielynn wore her mother’s hat to the Kentucky Derby in 2019. Anna Nicole had worn the hat to the derby in 2004
The annual American horse racing event is a fixed fixture in the pair’s calendar and holds a special place in the family’s heart as Larry met Anna there in 2004 when she was photographed in a famed pink hat
Larry insists that their daughter just wants to be her own person but still takes comparisons to her mother as a compliment despite it getting tiresome at times.
Her father also admitted to TMZ that he isn’t sure if the offers they have received have to do with her striking resemblance to her mother or the fact that she is actually the daughter of the quintessential blonde bombshell but they are being turned down regardless.
Larry said Dannielynn is more concerned with getting her homework done than fame as she has an interest in art, animation, and drawing.
She did previously show acting chops, according to her father, but ultimately decided to not pursue it.
However, the door isn’t completely closed on acting as Larry told the publication that she would definitely take a role on Stranger Things or The Mandalorian.
Larry previously said the event serves as ‘a growth chart’ for Dannielynn because ‘you can see her grow up every Derby’. Pictured in 2017 and 2018
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