Dannielynn Birkhead, the 18-year-old daughter of late model Anna Nicole Smith, stole the spotlight at the 151st Kentucky Derby over the weekend, accompanied by her father, Larry Birkhead.
The father-daughter pair made an appearance at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday, May 3, an annual tradition they’ve had since the late model daughter was three years old. Birkhead lives a relatively low-profile life, but she captures the world’s attention every year when she attends the Kentucky Derby.
This year was different, however, as she decided to wear one of her mother’s most iconic looks: a black halter dress. Smith wore the floor-length gown 21 years ago at the 2004 Kentucky Derby, creating unforgettable memories for Birkhead and bringing her life full circle.
“It’s sad that I didn’t get to know my mom, and this was one of the only reasons and ways that I got to know her,” she told Access Hollywood at the Barnstable Brown Gala. “This is the closest I’ve ever gotten to hugging her in my life, so I was in tears all day.”
The celebration was as bittersweet for her father as it was for her. “To be able to meet her and have this come full circle in my life means so much to me,” Larry added.
Burkhead was born on September 7, 2006, in Nassau, Bahamas, to the late model and actress Anna Nicole Smith and photographer Larry Burkhead. Burkhead’s mother tragically died of an accidental drug overdose in 2007 at the age of 39, when she was just five months old.
Burkhead had a tumultuous start to her life, and a few months after her mother’s death, she was embroiled in a high-profile paternity scandal. But DNA testing ultimately confirmed that Larry Burkhead was her biological child.
In an interview with People magazine, the 52-year-old photographer revealed that Burkhead is following in her mother’s footsteps and has decided to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, focusing on modeling and acting, and is preparing to enter the next exciting phase of her life: college.
“She’s taken a year off to get ready for college. She doesn’t really want to talk about where she’s going, though, because she wants to keep it private,” he said. “At the same time, she’s actually interested in… modeling and acting, and people have been trying to get her to do that for years, but she’s said no. Now, maybe she wants to give it a try and ask herself, ‘Is this what I really want to do?'” Like any father, he’s wary of her decision, but he promises that he’ll be there to support and guide her as long as she needs him.
The family outing gave Burkhead a chance to pay homage to Smith’s fashion legacy and get her hands on her iconic garments. Her father paid more than $200,000 in storage fees for Dannielynn to preserve the garments, according to the New York Post.
The teen’s future is looking good financially, as she already reportedly has a net worth of $4.5 million, according to Impact Wealth. As the late model’s daughter works to adjust to adult life and explore all that art brings, she’s taking a major step toward the spotlight that’s worth keeping an eye on.