“I’m watching him looking through the camera and telling me,” Robert began, before adding how much “pride” he feels continuing his dad’s legacy.
Robert Irwin always knew what he was destined to do, thanks to his late father, Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.
While appearing on the podcast The Viall Files, the 21-year-old got choked up while recalling his dad’s hope for him, left via the Crocodile Hunter’s own TV appearances and past interviews.
“He always said, ‘My whole mission is to create a legacy that my kids can continue,'” Robert said of his dad, who died on September 4, 2006, at 44 years old ,after being pierced in the chest by a short-tail stingray barb while filming in the Great Barrier Reef with Philippe Cousteau Jr. At the time, Robert was just two years old.
“He said that years before he passed,” Robert continued. “So, for me watching that, it’s like he gave me this gift, it’s there, it’s in material, it’s in writing.”
Robert’s father, of course, was an Australian zookeeper, environmentalist, and wildlife conservationist who became famous for his TV show, Crocodile Hunter. He was beloved worldwide for his energetic and enthusiastic moments with animals, particularly crocodiles.
“I’m watching him looking through the camera and telling me, ‘I’m not always going to be here and but I’m creating something that you can continue and that’s what I want you to do,'” Robert added, holding back tears.
“And that’s what I get to now and it feels me with a lot of pride,” he added.
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While Robert said his memories with his late father are “blurry” and “very distant,” when he watches footage of Steve and him as a child that he hasn’t seen before, Robert will get hit with a vivid memory.
“It’s like I just get his with something, ‘Boom I remember that!’ It just floods back into my mind,” he explained.
“I remember that feeling, I remember how he felt in that moment and that is the greatest gift I can receive.”
Robert — who is an uncle to his sister Bindi’s daughter, Grace — noted the most “emotional thing” is when Grace watches footage of Steve and thinks it’s Robert.
DWTS 5th Judge: Robert Irwin Honors Mom Terri, Topanga and Mr. Feeny Reunite for Dedication Night
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Robert is currently competing on Dancing with the Stars with his pro dancer partner, Witney Carson. The pair had the whole ballroom in tears this week for Dedication Night, where Robert danced for his mother, Terri Irwin.
He dedicated the emotional performance — set to the Phil Collins track “You’ll Be In My Heart” — to her for the strength she had after Steve’s death, while raising Robert and his older sister Bindi as a single parent.
“I was two when I lost dad, and as I got older, I started to realize how hard it must be for her. I’ve never really been able to capture what it…” he said in footage captured in rehearsal earlier in the week.
“I’ve never been able to capture the feeling of gratitude that I feel for her. At every milestone, I just wished that my dad was there. She was there, and that was enough. I struggled a lot with losing my dad — a lot. And she always made sure my dad was present in our lives,” he added. “I want her to know how proud my dad would be of her.”
