Howard K. Stern (left), Anna Nicole Smith's long-time lawyer and companion, and Larry Birkhead, Smith's former boyfriend, leave the courtroom after the decision in the Anna Nicole Smith hearing at Broward County Courthouse in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, February 22. - Reuters photos

Larry Birkhead was revealed as the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby Tuesday night.

DNA tests confirmed the photographer is the biological father of seven-month-old Dannielynn.

Anna Nicole had named her lover and lawyer Howard K. Stern as the father on the tot's birth certificate.

Birkhead said: "I hate to be the one to say this, but I told you so. My baby's coming home soon. I'm happy to have this behind me and to be able to start a life with my daughter."

Stern had claimed he was the father because the conception date correlated with his relationship with Anna Nicole.

However, Birkhead - who had a two-year relationship with the late Playboy model - always insisted the baby was his.

The paternity tests have now confirmed with 99.9999 per cent certainty that Birkhead is Dannielynn's biological father.

240 million fortune

Significantly, the result will give Birkhead control of the 240 million fortune Dannielynn could inherit from her mother's marriage to the late oil tycoon, J. Howard Marshall.

Stern will hand Dannielynn over to Birkhead in the next few weeks.

Both have agreed to block any attempt by Anna's mother, Virgie Arthur, to seek joint custody.