Anna Nicole Smith’s Best Friend, Lover Missy Byrum Confesses ‘We Actually Got Married’

Netflix recently explored the life of Anna Nicole Smith through a new documentary, Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me. This latest release prompted one of her close friends, Missy Byrum, to reminisce about her passionate affair with the late Playboy model.

Missy Byrum told PEOPLE that she initially crossed paths with Nicole at a Houston strip club where they were both employed. She revealed that they were both in a relationship and eventually tied the knot. “She gave me a set of rings, and we got married in the backyard by the pool with champagne… She wanted me to have a baby with her,” she confessed. “But I always knew it wasn’t ever going to work out because she was never, ever going to settle down with one person.”

Missy Byrum says Anna Nicole Smith was determined to get famous

Bryum also detailed Smith’s journey to fame and how she was resolute and determined to achieve success.  “From the minute I met her, she always told me she was gonna end up being a famous model and she always told me she was gonna die young,” she told the news outlet. “She was a princess, if she wanted something from you, you would deliver it. That’s how it worked. Nicki was adaptable and changeable to whatever circumstances were going on in your particular dynamic of a relationship, to get what she needed.”

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She further stated that the late model became very manipulative with her moves and her quest for stardom. “She started to manifest the character of Anna Nicole back then. She would even pretend to be stupid when she was dancing,” Byrum stated. “I watched her do it all the time. She learned stripping that guys like to think you’re dumb if you’re that pretty.”

Missy Byrum shares the details of her relationship with Anna Nicole Smith

Byrum stated that their relationship began after Smith got on the cover of Playboy magazine in 1992. At the time, the late model already had a child, Daniel, with billionaire J. Howard Marshall. “Nicki was getting more dependent on me, because I’m taking care of Daniel while she’s gone. And then I’m traveling with her all the time and so we’re together all the time,” Byrum admitted. “We became lovers, you know? And I mean real sober lovers — it was a conscious thing. She said that she loved me.”

However, at the height of her fame, Smith became drug reliant to deal with her physical pains. Byrum disclosed that she distanced herself from Smith when her struggle with addiction became overwhelming. “She just needed to be adored,” Byrum told PEOPLE. “She needed more love than any one human being could give her.”