MORE TROUBLE FOR ANNA NICOLE SMITH AS BABIES FATHER SPEAKS OUT

Larry Birkhead With Baby

The man who claims to be the father of Anna Nicole Smith's newborn daughter says the blond bombshell ran off to the Bahamas to give birth to keep their child away from him, according to today's NY Post.Larry Birkhead, a celebrity photographer and journalist who dated the reality-TV ditz on and off for two years, says Smith, 38, tried to cut him out of the baby's life, forcing him to keep his paternal status a secret and running away to the Caribbean. But the secret turned tragic when Smith's son, Daniel, 20, died mysteriously in his mother's hospital room last week, three days after his baby sister was born. Daniel was found last Sunday morning slumped in a chair, covered in blood and vomit. The cause of death has not been determined. "I've never had a person take off and run away from me, especially to another country," Birkhead told "Entertainment Tonight" in an interview airing tomorrow night and again Tuesday evening on WCBS/Channel 2. "I found out through friends" that the baby was born, Birkhead said. "I've had to stay glued to the TV." The two met a few years ago at the Kentucky Derby, when Birkhead was assigned to snap photos of the former Playboy Playmate."For about 21/2 years, our relationship was personal," Birkhead said. Then Smith broke the news that he was to be a dad - and everything changed, he recalled."I've been told that I was the father from Anna. She said, 'We're having a baby,' and ever since then, my life has been totally different," he said.Birkhead said he spoke to Smith the day before the baby girl, Hannah, was born and was hopeful that at the last minute, she'd change her mind and allow him to witness the birth.In the early stages of Smith's pregnancy, Birkhead said, he was involved in everything from selecting a name to seeing the ultrasounds to listening to the baby's heartbeat. Then, at some point, Smith decided to cut ties."I've had to look on Anna's own Web site and pay $4.99 a month to get updates about the baby," he said. A paternity test may be in the future for Birkhead...