Anna Nicole Smith's ex-lover Larry Birkhead fought back tears in court on Friday as he testified about the late star's drug lows.
The photographer, who is the father of Smith's daughter Dannielynn, resumed testifying in the drug conspiracy trial of doctors Khristine Eroshevich and Sandeep Kapoor and Smith’s former boyfriend and lawyer Howard K. Stern and told the court in Los Angeles that the actress/model often suffered seizures after taking drugs.
Birkhead also revealed Anna Nicole would fall asleep during meals because of the numerous prescription medications she was taking.
The doctors and Stern are accused of prescribing to an addict, as well as conspiring to provide excessive opiates and sedatives to Smith. All three have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to provide excessive drugs to the star.
Birkhead, who once battled Stern for custody of Dannielynn and has recently become the lawyer's friend, said he saw Stern give Smith medicine when she didn’t feel well, and testified he knew the attorney was picking up prescriptions for her.
And when he hid a powerful painkiller from his then-girlfriend, Stern called him and asked where it was.
But Anna Nicole always insisted she was not an addict, despite the large amounts of drugs she took for a number of ailments.
Birkhead revealed, "She would say, 'I’m in pain. I’m not a drug addict... I have a high tolerance because I’m in pain.'"
The three-week-old trial continues.
Anna Nicole Smith's former boyfriend Larry Birkhead is selling off the late model's possessions to raise money to secure their daughter Dannielynn's future.
Before she died in 2007, Smith launched a legal battle to secure more than $300 million from the estate of her late husband, oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall.
The wrangling continued after her death with the promise of providing a massive trust fund for three-year-old Dannielynn, but a Texas court threw out the claim in March and a subsequent appeal was rejected.
Birkhead has now resorted to selling off his late lover's memorabilia to fund the tot's private education.
He tells Reuters, "It's like, do I want to hold on to one of Anna's dresses, or do I want to try to help Dannielynn's future?
"Dannielynn has different needs than other kids. She has to have security because we have a lot of curious people and it creates a bit of a problem. And now that she's starting school, she'll need to go to a private school. I think Anna would appreciate that these items are going to help Dannielynn thrive and flourish and continue being the great kid that she is. We have money. We have more than enough to survive on. (Auction proceeds) would just supplement that."
The sale, held by Julien's Auctions, will take place on June 26th in Las Vegas and will include Smith's Mercedes sportscar, bronze statues and furniture, as well as gowns and paintings.
A slice of the proceeds from the auction will also go to the late model's charity, the Anna Nicole and Daniel Wayne Smith Foundation, and a dress which Smith wore in an advert for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will raise money for the animal rights organisation.
The father of Anna Nicole Smith's daughter Dannielynn has been subpoenaed to testify in a criminal case against his one-time love rival.
Larry Birkhead has since patched up his differences with the model/actress' companion Howard K. Stern and the two are now friends, but the photographer who fought with Stern over custody of Smith's baby could land the lawyer in trouble when he takes the stand in a preliminary hearing into the late star's drug use.
The hearing began in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday.
Stern and associates Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor have been charged with conspiracy to furnish tragic Smith with drugs. All three have pleaded not guilty.
California Department of Justice narcotics investigator Danny Santiago opened the hearing by recounting what he discovered in the Florida hotel room where Smith collapsed before her death in February 2007.
Anna Nicole Smith's ex-lover Larry Birkhead fought back tears in court on Friday as he testified about the late star's drug lows.
