Robert Irwin Shares How He’s Keeping Dad Steve Irwin’s Legacy Alive
Robert Irwin didn’t leave one dry eye on Dancing with the Stars.
The wildlife conservationist paid a special tribute to his mom Terri Irwin and late dad Steve Irwin during “Dedication Night” Oct. 14, as he and partner Witney Carson delivered a contemporary routine to Phil Collins‘ “You’ll Be in My Heart”—which also included a cameo from mom Terri.
“She’s an absolute hero to me, because I was 2 when I lost dad,” Robert shared about his mother during his intro. “As I got older, [I] started to realize just how hard it would have been for her to be there for us, and all the while continue dad’s legacy that her and dad built together.”
The 21-year-old struggled to speak through his tears, adding that he’s “never been able to capture the feeling of gratitude I feel for it.”
“At every milestone when I just wished that my dad was there, she was there,” he said. “And that was enough.”
Robert explained that he struggled a lot with losing his father—who died from a stingray injury in 2006—but that his mother’s “strength is so inspiring” that it helped him cope.
But as Terri, 61, told her son during their rehearsal, it was Robert and his sister Bindi Irwin, 27, who actually helped her heal.
ABC
“After we lost Steve, it was difficult to smile again. For quite a while,” Terri recalled. “So for him to say, ‘You lifted me up,’ honestly, it was the opposite. Because of them, I could get up every morning. Every day I’m a proud mama.”
Robert added, “This is a moment with my mum that I will cherish forever, and I know my dad would be so proud.”
And Robert and Witney’s dance left everyone in tears, with judge Bruno Tonioli gushing that Steve is “looking at you kid and he’s smiling.”
He continued, “All I can say this was the true expression of everlasting love.”
Judge Derek Hough—who was Bindi’s partner in 2015 when she won DWTS—struggled to share his own thoughts through his tears.
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“The love I have for your family. Thank you. I just have so much love for you guys,” Derek said. “Man, I’m so proud of you. I really am. You’ve become such an amazing man and the world needs the Irwin family.”
While the dance was incredibly emotional for Robert and Witney, it was also one of their best, as they received scores of nine from Bruno, Derek and guest judge Kym Johnson, and eight from Carrie Ann Inaba.
And Robert had one more dedication to make, saying, “This dance is for my mum. It’s for all of the mums out there who don’t get the recognition they deserve.”
“This is for the single parents who work so hard every day to put one foot in front of the other,” he continued. “It’s for anyone who’s lost, someone who feels lost—keep going. And if you can, go call your mum and tell her that you love her.”
For a deep dive into Robert and the entire Irwin family, keep reading.
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Steve Irwin
Becoming the Crocodile Hunter was more than Steve Irwin‘s career path—it was his destiny.
“I was born into it,” he told Yahoo! Australia in 2002. “Didn’t have a choice.”
From a young age, Steve joined his herpetologist dad Bob Irwin and wildlife rehabilitator mom Lyn Irwin on expeditions and helped at their reptile park in Australia’s Queensland. He then captured and relocated crocodiles as part of a public safety and conservation effort by the government.
In 1991, Steve took over his parents’ reptile park. It was there he met wife Terri Irwin while she was visiting from Oregon. After they wed in 1992, they began filming the docuseries The Crocodile Hunter.Steve and Terri continued their passion of spreading conservation education through their TV shows and park, which they grew into the Australia Zoo, and became parents to daughter Bindi Irwin and son Robert Irwin.
Steve died on September 4, 2006, after a stingray’s barb entered his heart while he was filming in the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44. However, his legacy lives on through his work and family.
“The proudest thing I’ve achieved personally,” he said in a video shared by Australia Zoo, “is my children.”
Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Discovery, Inc.
Terri Irwin
Like Steve, Terri developed a love of animals at an early age—working at an emergency veterinary hospital and wildlife rehabilitation organization before meeting her perfect mate.
“I think it’s definitely fate that brought us together,” she told Oprah Winfrey in 2002, “and that ability to seize opportunity and not be afraid. Steve’s really good at not being afraid. But when I met him and he said, ‘Do you want to get married and live in the Australian bush and catch crocodiles with me?,’ it was a bit of a leap of faith to say here’s a wonderful opportunity in the most incredible, wonderful, sexy guy I’ve ever met.”
Following Steve’s death, Terri continues to run Australia Zoo, lead their nonprofit Wildlife Warriors and drive conservation efforts. She also released her book My Steve in 2007, became an Australian citizen in 2009 and starred on the show Crikey! It’s the Irwins with her kids from 2018 to 2022.
“My life is very full and very rich,” she told Us Weekly in May 2025. “And every day I wish Steve was here, but I’m so lucky.”
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Endometriosis Foundation of America
Bindi Irwin
Born in July 1998, Bindi has grown up on fans’ screens.
After making her TV debut on The Crocodile Hunter, she went on to star on shows like Bindi: The Jungle Girl and Crikey! It’s the Irwins. She also won season 21 of Dancing With the Stars in 2015.
In addition to following in her parents’ footsteps with her conservation work, Bindi is the author of the children’s book You Are a Wildlife Warrior!: Saving Animals & the Planet and an advocate for those battling endometriosis, having shared her own journey.
She also welcomed the next generation of Irwins by becoming mom to daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell in 2021, one year after tying the knot with longtime love Chandler Powell.
Many will remember when an 8-year-old Bindi spoke at her father’s funeral, and she continues to keep his memory alive.
“To the world, you will forever be remembered as the greatest Wildlife Warrior,” she wrote on Instagram in February 2025. “To me, you’ll always be the most incredible dad and now our family’s guiding light. I love you and I miss you every day.”
Stewart Cook/Disney via Getty Images
Robert Irwin
Five years after Bindi was born, Robert made his debut in December 2003.
And just like his family members, he’s used the power of television to teach others about nature, including on series like Wild But True and Crikey! It’s the Irwins.
Separately, Robert has hosted shows like I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, done some modeling and is currently competing on season 34 of Dancing With the Stars. He also knows his way behind the camera and is a wildlife photographer.
Otherwise, he stays plenty busy working at the Australia Zoo and continuing his dad’s work.
“He is my superhero. He always will be,” Robert told BBC Radio 2 in 2024. “He was I think a superhero to an entire generation. There is not a day goes by where someone doesn’t share a story about him. To hear that, it really means the absolute world. It’s an honor. It really is an honor to make sure everything he lived and died for continues.”
Instagram / Bindi Irwin
Chandler Powell
Just as how Steve met Terri when she was an American tourist at the Australia Zoo, Bindi met her Florida-born husband Chandler at the same place.
That fateful moment took place in 2013, when Chandler (then a professional wakeboarder) was in Australia for a competition and went on a zoo tour led by Bindi.
“We hit it off right away,” he recalled on a 2024 episode of the In Real Life Podcast. “There was no looking back as soon as we met each other. It was like we were on the same wavelength immediately.”
Because they were just teenagers at the time, Chandler spoke to Bindi’s mom before pursuing a relationship.
“I didn’t hear from Chandler for quite a while afterwards,” Bindi told Entertainment Tonight in 2016, “and that’s because he sent a letter asking if he could stay in contact with me.”
In a full-circle moment, they then tied the knot at the Australia Zoo in 2020.
“Marrying your best friend …” Bindi wrote on Instagram in May 2025, “10/10 would recommend.”
Instagram / Bindi Irwin
Grace Warrior Irwin Powell
Grace entered the world in March 2021 and quickly inherited her family’s love of wildlife. Although, Bindi isn’t having her daughter get close to the crocodiles yet.
“When she is 18, and if she wants to help us feed the crocodiles, that’s great — but not now and not anytime soon,” she told TODAY.com in February 2025. “I understand how wildlife behaves and…I don’t ever have Grace in a situation or meeting an animal that she’s not ready for. Her world pretty much revolves around koalas, tortoises, giraffes and red pandas… which I know she’s totally good with.”
And yes, Grace knows all about her grandfather Steve.
“I always said I want to make sure that Grace knows Dad, her ‘Grandpa Crocodile’ as she calls him,” Bindi gushed to Us Weekly in May 2024, “and it’s really special watching her just loving the documentaries.”
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