‘My story is very uncommon’

With his sunny disposition, quick laugh and can-do attitude, it’s easy to forget just how much hardship Robert Irwin has weathered by the age of 22. Losing his father, the beloved zookeeper and TV icon Steve Irwin, at just two years old meant Robert and his sister Bindi were raised by their widowed mum, Terri. And in a recent Dancing With the Stars US routine to Phil Collins’ “You’ll Be In My Heart”, Robert finally found a way to say thank you.

“I really wanted to pay tribute to my mum who really kept everything going, kept my dad’s legacy alive, kept our family together through thick and thin,” Robert tells TV WEEK.

“The dance was telling a story of grief through the lens of positivity and the people in your life who can lift you up through the hardest moments. It was also a story to say thank you to all of the mums and the single parents who work really, really hard.”
Mum Terri surprised the audience and joined Robert during the emotional DWTS performance. (Credit: Instagram)
The Irwins are famously tight-knit, so much so that Bindi and Terri moved to LA to support him during filming for Season 34 of DWTS – which Robert won, a decade after Bindi took home the mirror ball trophy herself.

“It was so surreal for her to be in the crowd sitting exactly where I was sitting in that ballroom 10 years prior,” he says.

“It was a full circle moment.”

For Robert, the show was more than a trophy – it was a global platform to amplify the mission his dad set him on: wildlife conservation, protecting endangered species and inspiring environmental stewardship.

“My life and my story are very uncommon,” Robert smiles. “Not a lot of people grow up in a zoo. I was very happy that I got to represent Australia Zoo and Wildlife Warriors, my charity and my mission.”

“The last three months have been the most demanding, but honestly, I feel like it’s the most energy I’ve ever had. Whatever I do, I do it for something that is bigger than myself, which is an honour. It’s about representing a sense of passion and positivity that I’m all about.”
Steve Irwin, co-owner of Australia Zoo, passed away at the young age of 44. (Credit: Instagram)
And while Dancing With the Stars and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! have become unexpected but perfect vessels for that message, Robert admits he’s not convinced another reality show – particularly The Bachelor – would fit the bill.

“I have found a lot of really interesting ways to get my conservation message out to people, and it’s been really special. I don’t know how I would get my wildlife conservation mission out on The Bachelor – I’m not sure how that would work,” he says with a laugh.
IAC hosts Robert and Julia Morris have a hilarious and genuine bond. (Credit: 10)
Despite loving his time in America, home is always Australia – and three months of high-intensity filming hasn’t slowed him down one bit as he prepares for his next chapter – I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

“Coming on to a new season of I’m A Celebrity honestly feels like coming home,” Robert says.

“It feels warm and familiar and even as adrenaline-filled as the show is, it feels like I’m on a holiday with my friends in Africa.”