Bindi Irwin turns 18
Bindi is more determined than ever to honour her late father
There’s a difference between pressure and responsibility,” says Bindi Irwin. “I feel the responsibility on my shoulders, and I’m ready to carry it.”
Indeed, the daughter of late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, who celebrates her 18th birthday this week, has always been wise beyond her years. Although she’ll celebrate the special milestone as all teenagers would – at home with her family, friends and fans, at Australia Zoo on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast – Bindi is now more focused than ever on continuing her dad’s legacy as a wildlife warrior.
Tragic loss
Together with her mum Terri, 51, and younger brother Robert, 12, Bindi is committed to spreading Steve’s message of wildlife conservation. She has done so ever since he tragically passed away nearly 10 years ago.
Despite her great air of confidence, Bindi admits losing her dad hasn’t been easy. For years after his death, she felt anxious that Terri and Bob might one day be taken from her, too.
“When your superhero dies, it’s really scary. It was bad when I was younger,” she reveals of her anxiety.
These days, she’s taken on the role of carer within her family.
“I have this sense that I want to protect them,” she says. “So it’s always, ‘Be safe’ and ‘I love you’. ”
Looking ahead
While Bindi says she still cries from time to time, and describes her dad’s death as “a bomb going off”, she remains positive.
“You can still be happy,” she explains of losing a loved one. “It takes a strong person to be joyful and be kind.”
Her success on last year’s US Dancing with the Stars – she took out the top prize with her dance partner Derek Hough – has kept her in the spotlight. But she says conservation has always been the path she wants to take in life.
“It’s in my blood,” she says. “It’s why I was put on this planet. I feel like it’s my destiny.”
‘Conservation is in my blood. It’s why I was put on this planet … it’s my destiny’