BINDI’S WEDDING SECRET... SHE’S PREGNANT!
The lovebirds tie the knot – and there’s a baby on the way
CRET...
Ever since Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell met six years ago at Australia Zoo, it’s been clear it was head-over-heels love at first sight.
And now their fairytale is complete after a top-secret wedding ceremony at the same place they met – in the gardens of the zoo Bindi’s late dad Steve built with his very own hands.
Insiders tell Woman’s Day that only a handful of people – including photographers and staffers – were present for the couple’s nuptials, which were rushed forward to beat the Australian Government’s coronavirus wedding restrictions, where only five people can attend the ceremony.
The newlyweds have confirmed they lit a candle in honour of Steve, who died in 2006, and that Bindi’s little brother Robert walked her down the aisle in her stunning white, long-sleeved lace gown that was a replica of her mum Terri’s own wedding dress.
A zoo insider tells us exclusively, “Staff were called yesterday morning [Wednesday] to come to work straight away to set the wedding up. [There was] mad panic after
Scott Morrison’s announcement. Four
‘Can you imagine Terri’s delight at also being a grandmother?’
Queensland police units were deployed to guard the entrance, and were told to keep the media out. Once a [news] chopper was sighted, they rushed into a neighbouring barn to tie the knot.”
It was a shock move by the couple, who were married without 23-year-old Chandler’s parents Chris and Shannan, who live just outside of Orlando, Florida, by their side.
“Bindi was planning an epic wedding, including fans lining the streets into the zoo where she and Chandler planned to stream their big day across the world in front of 300 of their closest friends, including Chandler’s family and actor Russell Crowe, who her mum’s really close with.”
However, many puzzled fans are asking why didn’t 21-year-old Bindi wait until the stringent government guidelines were relaxed to have her big day.
A source close to the American Powell family thinks they know the answer.
“Rumour is going around the family that Bindi and Chandler got married so quickly because they’re having a baby,” says our Us-based insider.
“His parents streamed the ceremony but weirdly haven’t said much about it, which makes us think an even bigger announcement is yet to come.
“Bindi’s a lovely girl and we all know her well. They’d make great parents, and I can’t see them wanting to bring a baby into the world without being married, so this sudden wedding explains a lot.”
SPECIAL PROJECT
In an intriguing statement to Woman’s Day, Bindi’s spokesperson says, “We are in the process of working on a very special project that will ensure Bindi and Chandler’s wedding is shared with everyone.”
The baby speculation comes just four months after photographers in Beerwah snapped a picture of Chandler ducking into a local chemist, appearing to carry a pregnancy test in his shopping bag.
Around the same time, Bindi skipped out on a family appearance in
Sydney due to
feeling unwell, leaving Terri, 55, and Robert, 16, to take up the mantle while she posted pictures of cups of tea from bed.
An Irwin family insider tells us it would be “just like Bindi” to make a baby announcement at her wedding.
“Can you imagine Terri’s delight, finding out that she’s not only gained a son, but is also going to be a grandmother?” says the source.
“It’s a hugely special time for them all, despite the way the world is going at the moment, it’s nice for them to be wrapped up in such a blissful bubble.”
The only downside to Bindi’s nuptials is the fact that Steve’s father, Bob Irwin, 80 – who is estranged from Terri and the family – didn’t attend.
“Poor old Bob didn’t get to see his eldest grandchild walk down the aisle,” says a source close to Bob, who rarely leaves his home outside Kingaroy.
“The hope is that Bindi sends her grandad some photos from the day – that would help Bob deal with the hurt that comes from being estranged.”
Bindi and Chandler first met in 2013, when the young Wildlife Warrior hosted the wakeboarder on a tour of Australia Zoo.
“I’m like, wow, she’s amazing!” Chandler recalls of the day he met her.
And so began their longdistance love story, with Bindi living at Australia Zoo and Chandler a 20-hour journey away on the USA’S east coast.
“Growing up in Florida, Steve and Terri Irwin were my heroes,” he once touchingly admitted.
Their love blossomed when she appeared on the States’ Dancing With The Stars in 2015, when Bindi moved to LA for filming.
“He’s here!” she said of Chandler when she won the competition. “Thank you for always making me laugh, helping me ice my foot when it hurts, making me tea, and hugging me when I’m tired. You’re amazing.”
In 2018, he moved Down Under to be with Bindi, and has since become a crucial member of the zoo’s team, following in the footsteps of the father-in-law he would never meet to become a skilled croc handler.
HAPPIEST DAY
Chandler proposed on Bindi’s 21st birthday in July last year at the zoo, as her brother secretly snapped pictures from behind a bush.
In her wedding announcement shared late last week on Instagram, Bindi confirmed it was the happiest day of her life.
“We held a small ceremony and I married my best friend. There are no words to describe the amount of love and light in my heart right now. We’ve planned this beautiful day for nearly a year and had to change everything, as we didn’t have guests at our wedding. This was a very difficult decision but important to keep everyone safe,” she wrote.
“Today we celebrated life and revelled in every beautiful moment we shared together in our Australia Zoo gardens... We shared tears and smiles and love.”
‘We celebrated life... we shared tears and smiles and laughs’