Tiger Lily: who is Paula Yates and Michael Hutchence’s daughter - and Bob Geldof relationship explained

The life of Paula Yates will be explored in a new documentary on Channel 4 which will air tonight (13 March).

The new two-part documentary will tell Yates’ story through four “extraordinarily compelling” never before seen interviews which were recorded in 1998 and 1999 shortly before her death. It will also feature testimonies from some of her close friends and former colleagues and footage from some of her past interviews.

Yates, who was best known for presenting The Tube alongside Jools Holland and The Big Breakfast, was married to Bob Geldof, with the couple sharing three daughters. The TV presenter caused a stir when she had an affair with INXS musician Michael Hutchence. But who was her daughter Tiger Lily and why was she adopted by Geldof? Here’s everything you need to know.

Who is Tiger Lily Hutchence?

Tiger Lily, whose full name is Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence Geldof, is the daughter of Paula Yates and Michael Hutchence and the adopted daughter of Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof. Born on 22 July 1996, the 26-year-old is the half-sister of Fifi Trixibelle, Pixie and Peaches Geldof, who passed away from a heroin overdose in 2014.

In 2016 she made her modelling debut for sustainable fashion brand House of Khad. However, since then, Tiger Lily has kept a low profile and does not have an active presence on social media.

Who are her parents Paula Yates and Michael Hutchence?

Tiger Lily’s parents were Yates and Hutchence. The couple got together after Yates’s split from Geldof following their affair. However, tragedy would strike the family, when Tiger Lily was just 16-months-old her father passed away in November 1997.

On 17 September 2000, her mother Yates was found dead at her home after an accidental heroin overdose. Yates left behind her four daughters: Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches, Pixie and Tiger Lily who settled with Geldof. Reported by The Sun, it was 4-year-old Tiger Lily who raised the alarm.

When a friend of her mother rang the house she answered the phone telling them she could not wake her. In 2014 the family suffered another painful loss with the death of Peaches, who died from a heroin overdose leaving behind her two sons, Astala and Phaedra.

When was she adopted by Bob Geldolf?

Tiger Lily was formally adopted by her half-sister’s father Geldof following the deaths of both of her parents. However, her relationship with Hutchence’s Australian family is not as close. In 2020, her paternal aunt, Tina told Australian publication New Idea, that the now 26-year-old “doesn’t know me.” She added: “She’s old enough to know if she wants to know me or not. And if she wants to know more about Michael, I’m not difficult to find.”

The Sun also report that Tiger Lily was supposed to receive an inheritance from her father. In an interview with Richard Lowenstein, who directed the 2019 Michael Hutchence documentary Mystify, she said: “I’ve never received anything from anyone. I had a meeting once with an accountant that was so bad I didn’t want to do it again.”

Where is she now?

The only daughter of Yates and Hutchence reportedly lives in Fremantle in Western Australia. According to Australian publication Now to Love she is reportedly engaged to Nicholas Allbrook, the frontman of psychedelic Australian rock band Pond. She keeps a low profile, enjoying a private life and opting not to have a presence on social media.

When can you watch the Paula Yates documentary?

The new two-part documentary will air on Channel 4 tonight (13 March), with episode one playing at 9pm and episode two available at the same time on Tuesday 14 March.

From our sister title PeopleWorld: Meet the journalist whose unheard tapes of Paula Yates debut in Channel 4 documentary