Elvis' oldest granddaughter has shared some information about her baby daughter, explaining why she used surrogate and the meaning behind the newborn's name.
- Aug 9, 2023
AceShowbiz - Riley Keough paid tribute to her late grandfather, Elvis Presley, with her daughter's name. The "Daisy Jones and the Six" star and her husband Ben Smith-Petersen had their first child into the world in August 2022, and she's now revealed the tot is named Tupelo Storm Smith-Petersen, with her first name being that of the Mississippi city The King was born in, what Riley thought would be a subtle tribute until the "Elvis" biopic was released.
"This is Tupelo. It's funny because we picked her name before the Elvis movie. I was like, 'This is great because it's not really a well-known word or name in relation to my family - it's not like Memphis or something.' Then when the Elvis movie came out, it was like, Tupelo this and Tupelo that. I was like, 'Oh, no,' But it's fine," the 34-year-old actress told the new issue of Vanity Fair magazine.
In addition, little Tupelo shares a middle name with her late uncle, Riley's brother Benjamin Keough, who took his own life three years ago. The "Runaways" actress confirmed her baby was born to a surrogate because, while she can "carry children," it felt like the right thing to do because she suffers from Lyme disease.
She said, "I think it's a very cool, selfless, and incredible act that these women do to help other people. I can carry children, but it felt like the best choice for what I had going on physically with the autoimmune stuff."
Riley recently took a break in Switzerland to explore different treatment options for her condition. She explained, "I have Lyme disease. I used this little break that I have to come and try and see if I can alleviate it a bit. It's a holistic treatment centre and offers all kinds of things that you can't really do in America yet, like cleaning your blood."
