Nicole Murphy melts hearts with photo of teenage daughter along with a sweet message

Earlier this year, Bella Murphy turned 16-years-old. The daughter of Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell-Murphy has grown up really fast, and her mother continues to show her off to the world now that she's blossomed into a young lady.

In an appreciation post, the proud mother shared a close up photo of her daughter posing in front of the camera. Her caption made sure to encapsulate everything she wanted to share to Bella, throwing some humor into it. Now that she's 16, her mother Niki joked that she might have to lock her baby girl up.

When the young teenager celebrated her Sweet 16 last January, she celebrated it over the weekend with her closest family and friends. In a '70s themed birthday party, Bella got everything she asked for, and was "so happy" with what had happened.

Of course, the doting mother made sure to greet her daughter a happy birthday, sharing with the world some of the characteristics that make her all the more loveable.

“Happy Birthday to my beautiful Bella who is 16 years old today. You’re such a beautiful & smart young lady. I’m so proud of you. I love you so much."

While Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell have long been separated, the two continue to keep an amicable relationship between one another. After ending her 12-year marriage to the actor-comedian, she even participated in the reality TV show "Hollywood Exes", which gained her even more fame. They were married from 1993 to 2006, and share five children together: Bella Zahra, Bria, Shayne Audra, Miles Mitchell, and Zola Ivy. Mitchell filed for divorce in 2005, citing "irreconcilable differences".

Despite trying to find love again through Michael Strahan, a retired American NFL player, Nicole and Michael eventually called it quits after 5 years of dating due to their own busy schedules.