Larry Birkhead with DannielynnLarry Birkhead has said being a father is “the best experience of my life” and he is amazed by the support he gets from complete strangers.

Larry fathered baby Dannielynn with Anna Nicole Smith but had to fight for custody of the now 10-month-old baby girl as Anna claimed her partner Howard K Stern was the biological father. Following Anna’s death in February, Larry was underwent DNA testing to assert his paternity then gained custody of the child in May.

He told People this week: “[Being a dad] is the best experience of my life.”

“I get up early in the morning and I run in as soon as I hear the first cries and I take a peek at my daughter and scoop her up. It’s great! It’s a lot of fun [and] it’s a lot of hours.”

He added that the public nature of his fight for Dannielynn has left a lot of people wanting the best for the little girl and they send letters of support as well as presents: “You know I get [sent] tons of things from people who I’ve never even met before and so everything means a lot to me.”

“[Dannielynn] loves all kind of toys. She loves anything that makes noises and sounds and lights, and she’s really alert - she’s just a great baby!”

His ‘Little Monkey’ (”because she just rolls around like a little monkey all the time with me”) is also working on her first words: “It’s ‘gaga’ but I’m trying to make it ‘Dada’.”