Larry Birkhead shared the final words he exchanged with Anna Nicole Smith before her untimely passing.
During the Thursday, March 26, episode of Bunnie Xo’s “Dumb Blonde” podcast, Birkhead, 53, recounted, “The last time we spoke, I was trying to win her back and warning her about the trouble she was in. I didn’t anticipate the extent of it, but I urged her, ‘If you love that baby, you need to leave.’”
Birkhead and Smith initially crossed paths while she was filming her reality series, The Anna Nicole Show. Their relationship, initially private, became public when Smith gave birth to their daughter, Dannielynn, in September 2006.
Though Smith announced her pregnancy, she did not disclose Birkhead as the father of her child. A public paternity test later confirmed his paternity.
Following her pregnancy announcement, Smith moved to The Bahamas, where she had her daughter. On Thursday, Birkhead revealed he had tried to persuade her to return to the United States.
“I feared it wouldn’t end well. Part of me might have been trying to frighten her back home,” he admitted. “We had plans to reunite once she decided to return.”
Smith, leaving Dannielynn in The Bahamas, made a brief return for a mediation concerning her late husband J. Howard Marshall’s estate. Although not mentioned in Marshall’s will, Smith claimed he had verbally promised her half of his estate.
Birkhead noted that their plan to reunite ultimately fell apart, resulting in further disagreements. Despite the tension during her final days, Birkhead emphasized the strength of their connection.
Reflecting on their tumultuous relationship, Birkhead said, “She distanced herself from many people, but our connection remained despite the difficulties. Even when she was involved with someone else, she never told me to leave. Despite changes in contact details, she always managed to reach out and communicate with me.”
Five months after her daughter’s birth and her son Daniel’s death, Smith was found unresponsive in a Hollywood, Florida hotel room. She was transported to the hospital, where she was declared dead at 39. The cause was an accidental drug overdose.
