Anna Nicole Smith's daughter Dannielynn is growing up fast, and her protective father Larry Birkhead has been making sure that she enjoys her teenage years out of the spotlight.
However, this month, the 16-year-old will enjoy a moment in the spotlight with her dad by her side, as they step out for the annual Kentucky Derby.
The Kentucky Derby is an event Larry takes his only child to every year, and holds a place close to both of their hearts, as it's where he met the late Anna Nicole.
This year, the Kentucky Derby will be taking place on Saturday May 6th and Dannielynn will be likely to dress up for the occasion - a tradition that she and Larry have embraced since she was a little girl.
This time last year, Dannielynn looked stylish as she stepped out with her father wearing a colorful midi dress with dramatic sleeves by CeliaB, teamed with a blue fascinator and co-ordinating shoes. Larry, meanwhile, looked dapper in a stonewash grey suit.
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Larry takes his daughter to the horse event every year, to both honor the past as well as to create new memories with her.
© Michael LoccisanoTalking to Fox News Digital of the annual affair at the Barnstable Brown Derby Gala for the pre-Derby diabetes fundraiser, he explained: "We had a really great time, and it's kind of been a tradition that we would go every year."
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He continued: "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."
He added: "Since I did meet her mom there, it started off just kind of me taking her back and showing her around and kind of letting her know the stories that, you know, this is kind of where I met your mom and things.
© Stephen J. Cohen"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."
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Dannielynn’s late mother Anna Nicole was an American socialite who found fame in the early 1990s when she married Howard J. Marshall who was 63 years older than her.
"I'm not a gold digger," insisted Anna at the time.
"I could have married him a week after we met or two weeks after we met. I could have married him years before. And I didn't. I didn't. I went out and I made something of myself. And people don't appreciate that. I wanted to marry him because he loved me and he took care of me."
Dannielynn was born in 2006 but tragically five months later, in February 2007, Anna was found unresponsive in a Florida hotel room and was pronounced dead in hospital.
She was just 39. Initially, it was Howard who was listed on her birth certificate as Dannielynn's father. However, photographer Larry claimed paternity and a DNA test later confirmed that he was indeed the little girl’s dad.
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