Side-By-Side Photos Show Just How Much Dannielynn Birkhead Has Grown Up

Famous model Anna Nicole Smith never got to see her daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead, grow up. Smith, who shared Dannielynn with photographer Larry Birkhead, experienced many tragedies in her life and died when her daughter was just five months old in 2007. However, Larry has done his best to raise his daughter as a single dad. He brings her to the Kentucky Derby each spring, where we've seen her grow and change so much through the years. In fact, in side-by-side photos of Dannielynn below, her amazing transformation is so obvious.

Mike Coppola & Daniel Boczarski/Getty

In the picture on the left, Dannielynn is all dressed up for the 140^th Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2014. Dannielynn was just 7 years old at the time, and she looked adorable with her bright blue eyes and gap-toothed smile. In the photo, her dark blond hair is wild and curly around her shoulders, and she wears a big blue fascinator, complete with a pink butterfly and pink flowers. The picture on the right was taken 10 years later at the 150^th Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2024, when Dannielynn was 17. As a teenager, Danielynn's hair is highlighted and styled in a short bob, and she's wearing makeup. She's also wearing a red outfit, with a pink-and-purple fascinator in her hair and coordinating lipstick. She's all grown up now, and Smith would be so proud.

Anna Nicole Smith, who modeled for Playboy, H&M, and Guess and starred in an eponymous reality show, died from an accidental drug overdose when she was just 39. In a February 2017 interview with ABC News "20/20," Larry Birkhead revealed how much his ex wanted a daughter before she died. Birkhead told the outlet, "She went from city to city, as far back [as] the '90s, and she would collect outfits from all these road trips ... and hope that one day that she could dress her in all these frilly outfits."

Unfortunately, Smith passed away before she could make those dreams a reality, but Birkhead has done his best to fill the gaps since winning a custody battle against Smith's former partner Howard K. Stern. In a March 2026 interview on the "Dumb Blonde" podcast, Larry opened up about raising Dannielynn Birkhead. "... I've spent my time kind of going overboard making up for the fact that Dannielynn doesn't have a mom," he said. "I try to do as much as I can every day and put all my energy into everything and hope that ... one day that she can say, you know, that she appreciates what I've done."

Dannielynn Birkhead turned 19 in September 2025, and Larry Birkhead celebrated by posting a childhood video of his daughter on Instagram. The clip also showed pictures of her throughout her kid and teen years, ending in footage of Dannielynn all grown up. In the caption, Larry wrote in part, "19 years gone by in a flash! Here is a look back on some memories that feel just like yesterday."

Now that she's older, Dannielynn is pursuing higher education and considering a career path similar to her mom's, the late Anna Nicole Smith. "She took a year off. She's getting ready to start college," Larry told People in May 2025 about Dannielynn. He added, "At the same time, she's actually interested now ... [in] starting to model and act after all these years of people asking her to do it and saying no." 

Like he's always been for Dannielynn, Larry plans "to be supportive," though he did tell the outlet, "It's totally opposite of what I had envisioned [for her]." With her dad by her side, Dannielynn will be able to do anything!