BINDI IRWIN 'My Dad's Always with Me'

Us talks to Bindi Irwin about the legacy of her late father, Steve, and how she keeps his memory alive for her young daughter

- JAIME HARKIN

Bindi Irwin’s 3-year-old daughter, Grace, never met her grandfather Steve, who tragically died following a stingray injury at the age of 44 in 2006. However, the larger-than-life Australian wildlife conservationist is still very much a part of his granddaughter’s life: There are photos of him scattered throughout the Australian Zoo, where Grace spends her days picking hibiscus leaves and feeding kangaroos. Bindi, 25, continues to run the 700-acre facility alongside her mother, Terri, 59, brother, Robert, 20, and her husband of four years, 27-year-old former wakeboarder Chandler Powell.

Bindi also often plays footage from Steve’s popular documentary series, The Crocodile Hunter, for Grace. “He was the same person in real life as he was on screen, so I feel like Grace is able to grow up knowing him,” says Bindi. “As soon as we turn Dad on, she starts doing her imitation, yelling ‘Crikey!’ through the living room.”

The connection is bittersweet for Bindi. “If I had the chance, the one thing I’d say to my dad is, ‘I love you, and I miss you. Every day that you aren’t here is hard. But we hope to be making you proud,’” she shares. “I think when there’s love that is that great, it never truly goes away. He’s always with us.” Us caught up with Bindi at the Steve Irwin Gala Las Vegas and the 2024 EndoFound Blossom Ball this May to talk more about her dad, motherhood and life today.

Do you see any of your dad in Grace?