Take a Look At Anna Nicole Smith’s Daughter Dannielynn All Grown-up

The daughter of the late Anna Nicole Smith, Dannielynn Birkhead, is growing more and more into the likeness of her mother.  When she attended the annual Kentucky Derby with her father, Larry Birkhead, Dannielynn honored her late mom by wearing the hat she wore at the 2004 Kentucky Derby.

Dannielynn was only 5 months when Smith passed away on February 8, 2007, due to combined drug intoxication.  She was named after her elder brother, Daniel Smith, who sadly passed away just 3 days after Dannielynn’s birth. Before becoming Dannielynn Birkhead, Smith’s daughter was named Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern on her birth certificate because she thought her partner and longtime personal attorney, Howard K. Stern, was her baby’s father.  After Smith died, a DNA test was performed, that determined photographer Birkhead was the father, and he was given custody.

After getting custody of Dannielynn, Birkhead decided to move back to his native Kentucky to raise his daughter there – this one of the reason why the father and daughter duo has been regular attendees of the annual Kentucky Derby, attending it since 2010.  Dannielynn paired her mother’s pink hat with a light pink satin dress that was perfect for a 12-year-old.  Incidentally, the famous pink hat was worn by Smith when she attended the event with her then partner Birkhead.

Although Birkhead appears to be doing a great job raising Dannielynn by himself, he admits that there are challenges, especially when she’s almost a teenager now.  He says that she’s looking for a female presence in her life, which is why she has been ‘clingy’ to her female teachers and moms of her friends.  The photographer also said that he tried his best to answer when Dannielynn has questions about her mom, especially when t comes to information she finds about her online, like why her last name was ‘Stern’ and not ‘Birkhead’ when she was born. Yet despite not having her mom around, Birkhead said he is proud of the young lady his daughter is becoming, someone fearless but also sensitive and kind.