DNA tests have revealed that Larry Birkhead is the father of the late Anna Nicole Smith's baby.
The boyfriend of the former reality TV star reacted joyfully to the news in an April 10 hearing in the Bahamian capitol of Nassau. He then hugged his rival, Howard K. Stern.
Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer-turned-companion had been caring for her infant daughter Dannielynn since her sudden death in February. While the hearing did not resolve which man would get custody of the girl, Stern said he would not contest the DNA results. Another custody hearing is set for April 13.
Birkhead, a Los Angeles photographer, began seeking custody before Anna Nicole Smith's February 8 death at a Florida hotel-casino.
The baby, whose full name is Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, was born five months before Anna Nicole Smith's death. She stands to inherit millions of dollars from the estate of Smith's late husband, Texas oilman J. Howard Marshall II. The model-turned TV star had been battling Marshall's family over his estimated $500 million fortune since his death in 1995.