Paris Hilton’s lifelong passion for animals is now something she’s happily sharing with her children.
“I’ve loved animals for as long as I can remember, and I think it’s really important to pass that on to your kids,” Hilton, 44, says in a recent interview. She and husband Carter Reum are parents to son Phoenix Barron and daughter London Marilyn, and she notes that both children have been surrounded by animals since day one.
“They adore them,” she says. “They’re so gentle, so kind, and so loving with them.” For Hilton, introducing kids to animals goes beyond playtime — she believes it helps shape character. “It teaches love, responsibility, and empathy,” she explains, “and shows them how to be kind and care for something.”
Hilton recently brought that message to a wider audience with her new children’s TV show, Paris & Pups, and she loves seeing how naturally her kids connect with animals. “It makes me so happy that they love them as much as I do,” she adds.
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A devoted dog lover in particular, Hilton has long credited her pets with bringing joy and comfort into her life. Her first dog, Tinkerbell — a teacup Chihuahua who appeared with her on The Simple Life — remains especially close to her heart.
“Tinkerbell was my first love,” Hilton says. “She was my best friend, my sister, my sidekick — my family, my everything.” Tinkerbell died in 2015 at age 14, but Hilton says the bond they shared shaped how she views caretaking.
Looking back, she feels that being a pet parent helped prepare her for motherhood. “My dogs were my first babies before I had kids,” she says. “They brought so much happiness into my life, and they give you a kind of love that’s really special.”
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Hilton and Reum welcomed Phoenix in January 2023, and London followed in November 2023. Hilton says time has moved fast since then. “They’re growing up so quickly,” she says. “They’re both so tall and so smart.”
She also loves watching their sibling bond deepen. Hilton calls Phoenix “the best big brother,” saying he is sweet, protective, and constantly looking out for London. And, she adds, London feels the same way about him. “She adores him and looks up to him so much.”
The two, Hilton says, are already inseparable. “They’re best friends,” she says. “Always together.”
