It's hard to believe, but Dannielynn Birkhead,
daughter of iconic '90s model and reality
TV darling Anna Nicole Smith, celebrated her
11th birthday in 2017.
Her mother died suddenly of a drug overdose
in 2007, leaving behind a baby that was just
a few months old and at the center of a tense
legal battle between two men who claimed to
be her father: photographer Larry Birkhead,
and Smith's lawyer, Howard K. Stern.
A paternity test proved Birkhead was Dannielynn's
biological father, and after he secured custody,
he returned to his Kentucky home to raise
his daughter.
But even away from the Hollywood spotlight,
this little girl's life is fraught with some
scary elements, which makes it hard not to
worry about Dannielynn's future.
Missing her mom
Because Dannielynn was an infant when she
lost her mother, having no memory of Anna
Nicole has been extremely difficult.
But fortunately, it seems like her father
is stepping up.
Birkhead says Dannielynn is, quote, "fearless,
like her mom," but even so, she's already
had to work through some tough issues.
Larry told Today in 2010,
"She has these play dates where she sees other
kids with moms.
She sees cartoon characters with their mothers.
She's curious."
A haunting past
Dannielynn may not yet understand much about
what happened in her infancy, but one day,
she'll learn that not only did she lose her
mother, but she also lost her older brother
— and namesake.
Daniel Wayne Smith died at age 20, from what
an investigation revealed to be a toxic combination
of methadone, Lexapro, and Zoloft.
Fortunately, Dannielynn's dad helps her remember
her loved ones.
In 2015, she told ET her favorite place to
visit is the Bahamas, where her mom and brother
are buried.
Birkhead said,
"I tell Dannielynn stories about her mom.
I don't sugar coat it.
I say there are some things that your mom
did and you know I try to make her learn from
it."
Mini Anna for the cameras
At the time of Anna Nicole's death, the star
had become more famous for her tabloid exploits
than her acting or modeling work.
And though Birkhead is clearly a doting father,
he has also taken advantage of his daughter's
infamous connections.
Birkhead made the rounds for the ten-year
anniversary of Smith's death in 2017 with
Dannielynn as the centerpiece of the media
coverage.
The pair also filmed a made-for-TV documentary
called Life After Anna Nicole: The Larry & Dannielynn
Story, which painted an uncomfortable portrait
of how the Birkheads struggled to move on
after Smith's death.
This is to say nothing of Birkhead's appearance
on The Millionaire Matchmaker, or his claim
that Dannielynn wants him to find love again
(with Britney Spears), or the duo's many red
carpet appearances.
But maybe because she's a celebrity's child,
Dannielynn seems to be a natural at taking
it all in stride.
One-sided family
Birkhead's family sees Dannielynn on a regular
basis, but she has reportedly been cut off
from her late mother's kin.
Anna Nicole's sister told Inside Edition,
in 2017,
"I'm your aunt, I would love to meet you,
and I love you from afar."
That same year, Smith's mother and Dannielynn's
grandmother, Virgie Arthur, claimed that she
hasn't seen her granddaughter since 2010,
telling the Daily Mail,
"I wanna be part of Dannielynn's life.
She is my daughter's child and the only one
left in that line of lives.
It's not fair to her, not to know her mother's
side of the family."
But according to Birkhead, that's all a bunch
of lies.
He told Inside Edition,
"Anna's mom has seen Dannielynn, and she's
seen her a few times.
I say that only because I want the story to
stop."
Pre-teen modeling
It could be said that Dannielynn should try
to avoid her mother's path in entertainment.
Yet in 2013, Dannielynn got into the one of
the most cutthroat businesses around: modeling.
At age 6, she rocked the look for Guess Kids,
the juvenile line of the brand that made her
mom famous.
"Why is it so special that you're doing a
Guess ad?"
"Because my mommy was a Guess model too."
Guess creative director Paul Marciano affirmed
in a press release,
"Dannielynn has the same playful spirit that
her mother had on a set."
But it might have been just a one-time thing.
Birkhead told ABC News,
"I've had companies call me, since then and
ask me for her to model.
The answer's no.
She doesn't show any interest in it."
The dark web
As Dannielynn grows more curious about her
mom's life, a quick Google search will tell
her all she needs to know — and then some.
"Playboy playmate, completely spaced out,
troubled, gold digger, she is high as a kite.
Trainwreck."
Fortunately, it seems like her dad is prepared
to have open conversations about all of it
— eventually.
Birkhead told ET,
"She'll see things, you know, when she grows
up, that not necessarily all are true.
Was she wild?
Yeah, sure.
But a great lady, and a great mom."
Everyone's got an opinion
Not only does Dannielynn have full access
to her mother's patchwork legacy via the internet,
there's no escaping the cyber bullying and
tactless anonymous commentary about herself,
either.
Dannielynn is still just a kid, and yet there's
already been plenty of speculation about every
facet of her life.
Birkhead has said he's working hard to preserve
his daughter's childhood and sense of normalcy,
telling ET,
"I think [about] how far she's come, and all
the craziness that swirled around her.
[...] Just a little kid doing her thing like
she's supposed to be.
That's the one thing that I'm most proud of
that I've done — trying to keep everything
as normal as I can, in just a really crazy,
crazy situation."
Our fingers are crossed that Dannielynn grows
up learning what she wants to know about her
mom, and acknowledging the fact that she has
a dad who loves her very much.
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