Since Anna Nicole Smith’s death, Larry Birkhead has done nothing but fight — fight to be recognised as her baby’s birth father, to gain custody of his daughter and to clear his name from slanderous allegations of sex scandals and money-grubbing. All the while, he has been mourning the loss of his close friend Anna. In a candid and revealing interview in Woman’s Day, Larry opens up about his inner turmoil and how he’s doing his best to put the past behind him and raise his daughter.
What was it like the first time you took Dannielynn home to live with you?
She loved the nursery that I set up for her. I had been working on it for months before I was even named the father — that is how certain I was that Dannielynn was my daughter. I was a bit nervous at times and overly cautious as a parent, because I wanted to make sure that I was doing things just right.
What is it like being a single dad?
It is very hard not to have Anna to share the joy of parenthood with. One of the hardest things for me to cope with is that of all the pictures that I have taken in my career as a photographer, I will never have the one picture that I wanted — a family portrait. I will never have that opportunity to see Anna, myself and Dannielynn together as a happy family. Anna will never get to see her child grow up and Dannielynn will never know her mother and brother. It is a lot to digest.
How often do you see Howard? Does Dannielynn see him?
Very rarely. Contrary to reports, Howard and I are not best friends or anything else. I speak to him as it relates to Anna’s estate. He asks about Dannielynn and that is it.
Are you involved in the claim against J. Howard Marshall’s estate? What stage is it at? Is the figure US$227 million?
I do not know any of the figures. My daughter has a claim to her mother’s estate and that is the only reason that I have any involvement with that case. I think the press says it is from $80 million to $475 million, so who knows?
What do you miss about Anna Nicole?
I miss everything about her. I dream of her almost every night. I can almost hear her voice during the day when I am making decisions for Dannielynn. I listen and sometimes, as crazy as it sounds, I can hear her voice telling me the right thing to do. People will think I am crazy for saying that, but it is true. I really still feel like she is going to walk in the door any day. It is extremely hard for me to deal with, because I miss her so much.
Do you have concerns about your daughter’s future?
I think Dannielynn is going to have a great future and will be a beautiful girl like her mother. It saddens me to see all the press put a price tag on her head: “The $475 million-dollar baby” etc., in relation to the money she might be due from her mother’s late husband’s estate. Who knows if that will ever happen? I definitely am not going to die fighting for money like others in this whole case.
Read more of this interview in Woman’s Day (on-sale December 3, 2007).
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