“She’s been telling everyone how proud their dad would be.”

Robert Irwin’s glittering ride to the grand finale on US Dancing with the Stars this week has been fraught with drama, heartbreak and a little touch of family love, thanks to his number one cheerleader, sister Bindi.

The 21-year-old Wildlife Warrior has carried his late father’s spirit with him every spellbinding step, even wearing Steve’s old khaki shirt and a ring he refashioned from his old Australia Zoo keys.
Bindi has been Robert’s biggest DWTS cheerleader. (Credit: ABC)
“I have two good luck charms that I bring with me,” Robert shared on Instagram, adding he puts the ring on every morning of the live DWTS taping days.

“And my dad’s shirt still looks and feels like him,” he added. “It just feels like a big hug every time I put it on. In some way, I want him to be part of it.”

Robert’s sister Bindi, 27, won DWTS in 2015 and knows exactly how her brother feels. She once admitted to “sensing” Steve’s ghost while doing the hit show.
Robert was there for Bindi when she won DWTS in 2015. (Credit: Instagram)
“Sometimes during rehearsals it feels like there’s three people in the room,” Bindi said. “I do feel like Dad is still with me, every day.”

A close family friend tells New Idea that “this has been an emotional ride” for Robert.

“It was Bindi’s idea for him to have something of Steve’s with him,” tells the source. “She’s been telling everyone how proud their dad would be of Robert.

“There’s no doubt his favourite performance was the one Bindi joined him for.”
Steve passed away in 2006 when Robert was only two years old. (Credit: Instagram)
During the November 11 show, Robert and his partner, Witney Carson, dedicated their foxtrot to Steve, using the same song Bindi did 10 years earlier, ‘Footprints in the Sand’. At the end, Bindi joined them onstage, as Robert broke down in tears when a photo of Steve was projected onto the ballroom floor.

Doing DWTS has been a “physical and emotional roller-coaster for Robert, but Bindi’s been the cog that’s kept him going,” adds the insider. “Bindi agrees with [their mum] Terri that Robert has the potential of becoming even bigger than their dad.

“Bindi had her chances cut short because of her health problems but she’s going to make sure Robert gets to take every opportunity that comes his way.”

Bindi told Robert on social media watching him “shine has been incredible. You’re carrying Dad’s legacy with such grace.”