Why Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter Dannielynn Lives Such A Private Life

Anna Nicole Smith lived a very public life, but her daughter has done quite the opposite. Smith welcomed her daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead, in 2006, and while it was supposed to be a time of excitement and happiness, it was tainted by Smith's older son's sudden death, per People. Smith had shared the news of both Dannielynn's birth and her son's death on her website with a statement saying, "On Sept. 7 Anna Nicole gave birth to a healthy 6 lb., 9 oz. baby girl. Her son Daniel was in the Bahamas with her to share in the joy of his baby sister when he passed away suddenly on the morning of Sept. 10." Not long after welcoming Dannielynn, Smith was hit with another bump in the road as she was battling a paternity test from her ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead.

Larry believed he was the father of Dannielynn instead of Smith's legal counselor, Howard K. Stern, who was listed as the father on the birth certificate, per People. Unfortunately, amidst the wild paternity battle, Smith passed away in February 2007 due to an accidental overdose just a couple of months after she gave birth to Dannielynn, per Insider. According to The Guardian, by April 2007, the paternity case was finally put to rest as Larry was announced as the father of the young child. Since Smith's death and the wrapping of the paternity test, Dannielynn has lived her life out of the spotlight and has a good reason for doing so.

It can be hard to live a normal life when your parents have been in the spotlight, but Dannielynn Birkhead has done her best. Ever since 2007, she has laid low despite being offered projects in the entertainment industry, per Fox News. Larry Birkhead shared that Dannielynn is just "not interested" in having a life in the limelight. He continued, "If it's something that does interest her one day and something that she wants to do, that's fine."

According to Fox News, Larry will never deny her the opportunity to take on these projects, but for now, she isn't interested. He shared, "But right at this point, right now, you know, she is a 10th grader. She's making really good grades. She's in school, and her focus is kind of that — being a normal kid. And that's kind of OK."

Larry is incredibly proud of Dannielynn as she lives her "normal" life and constantly gushes about her online. In one Instagram post, he wrote about how well his daughter is doing in school as she closes out her eleventh-grade year. He wrote, "Dannielynn finished 11th grade and maintained honor roll through some challenging times we had taking care of my Mom before she passed away. I am so proud! Now, on to Summer break and then 12th grade." Who knows? Maybe after she graduates high school, she'll step in front of the cameras, but for now, Dannielynn is fine where she is.

Although Dannielynn Birkhead has kept her life private, there is one event that she will always step out for — the Kentucky Derby. According to Fox News, Larry Birkhead revealed that he and his daughter attend the event every year, and there is a sentimental reason why. He shared, "That's where I met Anna Nicole Smith. And it's something that I've taken my daughter back every year since. She's old enough to kind of understand what it is." For Larry, he takes the Kentucky Derby as an opportunity to tell Dannielynn about her mother, especially because she was so young when Anna Nicole Smith passed away. He shared, "And then it came to kind of people look for my daughter there because I really don't let her do any public events. And so, in all honesty, the Kentucky Derby is kind of the growth chart for Dannielynn."

Larry and Dannielynn's latest attendance at the Kentucky Derby was in May 2023. According to People, the 16-year-old stepped out in a sunflower dress, and of course, her dad had to match with a white suit with yellow accents. Larry even joked that this event is the father-daughter duo's "Met Gala." He shared, "But this is our own big event. Our Met Gala! The one event we go to every year because she's not 'out there' in public." Hopefully, the father-daughter duo keeps up this tradition for years to come.