What Does Anna Nicole's Daughter Look Like Now? New Photos Of 11-Year-Old Dannielynn Birkhead
She's her spitting image.
getty We remember Anna Nicole Smith as a model, actress, and star of her very own show, The Anna Nicole Show. But we also know that her life was plagued with tragedy and when she passed away in 2007 at the age of 39, we were all shocked at the aftermath — specifically, the paternity suit that involved her newborn daughter, Dannielynn.
It turned out one of Anna Nicole’s former partners, Larry Birkhead, was the biological father and officially gained custody of their daughter. Since then, Birkhead has raised little Dannielynn, reminding his child of the mother she never knew and celebrating her life.
Dannielynn is now 11 years old and turning 12 this September. But what does Anna Nicole’s daughter look like now?
It’s been over 10 years since Anna Nicole passed, and it’s certainly not easy being a father, which Birkhead knows all about. But according to him, she's coping well without growing up with a mom. Dannielynn doesn’t ask many questions about Anna Nicole and how she died from an accidental overdose. She’s become more accepting of her mom as she nears her teens but she does yearn for a mother figure in her life.
“She is clinging to the female teachers. She's clingy to her girlfriends’ moms and she’ll say things like, ‘Do you want to adopt me? Would you be my honorary mother?’ She tends to do that a lot,” Birkhead said.
But even though Dannielynn wants someone maternal, Birkhead says his daughter encourages him to get out and date women. She even tells him who he should and shouldn’t date, and has attempted to set him up with potential girlfriends.
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“We went to a swim party and it was a bunch of moms and I felt out of place, sitting there going, ‘I can do this,’ [while] they’re all gossiping. Then Dannielynn comes over, takes my foot and slides it next to the mother’s foot next to me. She says, ‘Y’all need to get to know each other.’ It’s cute when she tries to push me out of the house and get me to date and do things,” he said.
Dannielynn is also interested in expanding their family. It seems like she doesn’t just want it to be her and her father anymore; instead, she would like a sibling.
Birkhead recalls, “We went to a museum in Indianapolis and she started pulling these brochures for these kids that were up for adoption, and she said, ‘Just surprise me when you get home. Bring the best one home.’ I said, ‘It’s not that easy. You can’t really do it that way.’”
Growing up with a single father can take a toll on children, but it appears that Dannielynn is doing just fine. Birkhead knows that he can’t be with her forever, stressing how important it is for parents to let their children go and be their own person.
“She's a good kid and we laugh and have the best times and she wears me out,” Birkhead said. “I'm going on amusement park roller coasters doing 200-foot drops holding on to her and she says, ‘I told you the last time, do not hold on to me!’ Sometimes you just have to say, ‘I gotta let you go and become your own person.’ You can only do so much. Sometimes I'm amazed by the way she handles things.”
It sounds like Dannielynn is growing up to be a strong young lady!
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.