Larry Birkhead said raising his nine-year-old daughter without Anna Nicole Smith is “a rollercoaster.”
(Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Churchill Downs)
During an interview with Steve Harvey this week, the man who began dating Smith in 2004 said it’s difficult raising Dannielynn Birkhead without her mother.
“It’s a lot of work, but there’s a lot of reward there,” Birkhead said. “Everyday is like an adventure, it’s a little bit of a struggle. You don’t have enough time in the day and you always wish you had that extra pair of hands to help out.” (RELATED: America Is Stunned By How Much Anna Nicole Smith’s Daughter Looks Like Her)
WATCH:
Dannielynn was just five months old when her mother died from a drug overdose in 2007. The nine-year-old now lives with Birkhead in a quiet area of Kentucky and the two rarely make public appearances.
“It’s tough raising a little girl without a mom,” he continued.
(Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Churchill Downs)
“You always want to make sure you’re doing the right thing that a mom would choose that a dad might not choose. There were days on the playground where she would say she wants her mom back…it’s tough for her to visit the grave. It makes me emotional thinking about everything we’ve been through. It’s just been a rollercoaster.”
“Things could have turned out a lot different,” Birkhead said. “I think in a sad tale, this is kind of the happiest ending that you could have.” (RELATED: 15 Photos That Prove Anna Nicole Smith Loved To Show Some Skin)
WATCH: