Robert Irwin, who’s cha-cha-chaed his way into viewers’ hearts on Dancing With the Stars, says his late dad, Steve Irwin, left him a moving message that changed his life.
RadarOnline.com can reveal, the Crocodile Hunter star died in 2006 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray’s tail while filming a documentary.
Now 21, Robert was just 2 years old when his dad passed away, but Steve left him a video he hoped would guide his son if the worst ever happened.
Steve’s Message To His Kids
Steve Irwin’s son Robert said a video message left by his late father inspired him to continue the Crocodile Hunter’s legacy.
In it, Steve explained how he was building a heritage to leave to his children, that he was “creating something that you can continue and that’s what I want you to do.”
“He said, ‘My whole mission is to leave a legacy that my kids can continue.’ He said that years before he passed,” Robert recounts.
The young Aussie was moved to tears when he viewed the clip of his dad.
“For me watching that, it’s like he gave me this gift – it’s there, it’s material, it’s in writing,” he said. “I’m watching him looking through the camera and telling me, ‘I’m not always gonna be here.'”
Robert Praising His Mother
Terri Irwin earned praise from her son Robert for her strength in preserving Steve’s mission after his death.
But Robert is thankful his mother, Terri Irwin, was always there to support him.
“She’s an absolute hero to me,” he told the DWTS audience before a recent performance.
“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,” he added. “At every milestone, when I just wish that my dad was there, she was there.”
Carrying On His Father’s Legacy
Robert continues his father’s conservation work through Wildlife Warriors and global research initiatives.
Just as his father wanted, Robert has carried on Steve’s mission as an advocate for wildlife.
He lives at the Australia Zoo, where he gives crocodile demonstrations at its Crocoseum and also helps operate its nonprofit charity, Wildlife Warriors.
He’s also been involved with setting up conservation and research programs around the globe.
