Robert Irwin has revealed what his late father Steve Irwin would have thought of his incredible debut on Dancing With The Stars US.
The celebrity conservationist, 21, stunned viewers with a vigorous jive routine to the tune of Born to be Wild alongside dance partner Witney Carson, incorporating a subtle nod to his Crocodile Hunter dad
Proud mum Terri took to Instagram on Friday to share a clip of a chat Robert had on Access Hollywood following his stellar debut, where he shared how proud Steve would be if he were still alive.
‘What would your dad say about seeing you on Dancing With The Stars?’ host Kit Hoover asked.
Responding with a smile, Robert said Steve would definitely be looking down proudly on his talented son.
‘Mate, I think he’d be stoked,’ he enthused.
Robert Irwin, 21, has revealed what his late father Steve Irwin would have thought of his incredible debut on Dancing With The Stars USÂ
‘He was the sort of person where he just never held back. He was passionate and enthusiastic about every single thing he did,’ he added.
Continuing, Robert said he was honouring his father’s legacy and zest for life by appearing on the popular reality show.Â
‘He loved life when he was just living on the edge and giving it 100, and that is what this experience is,’ he said.
‘I have the honour of continuing his legacy—my family’s legacy—and I never thought I’d get to do that by dancing, but here we are and I’m just so grateful for that.’
Steve tragically died on September 4, 2006, from a stingray injury while filming in the Great Barrier Reef.
Robert’s heartwarming words come after he sent fans into meltdown with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tribute to Steve during his debut performance on Dancing With The Stars US this week.
At one point during his incredible performance, Robert jumped cleanly over Witney’s head before triumphantly raising both fists toward the camera—a pose made famous by Steve.Â
One Irwin fan who noticed the Easter egg uploaded a clip of the moment to TikTok alongside a photo of Steve doing the same pose.
Proud mum Terri took to Instagram on Friday to share a clip of a chat Robert had on Access Hollywood following his stellar debut, where he shared how proud Steve would be if he were still aliveÂ
‘He was the sort of person where he just never held back. He was passionate and enthusiastic about every single thing he did,’ Robert saidÂ
Overcome with emotion as she reacted to the dance move, the woman wrote: ‘Not Robert Irwin honouring his dad’s iconic pose week 1 on DWTS [crying emoji].’Â
‘My husband is the biggest Steve Irwin fan and told me this and I’m gonna go cry now,’ she added in the caption.
The video was inundated with gushing comments from fellow Wildlife Warriors, including Jersey Shore star Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi, who wrote: ‘I was hysterically crying.’
‘Goosebumps every time,’ another wrote, as someone else added: ‘I actually cried when I saw his dance. Steve would be so proud and impressed.’
‘When I saw this I had instant chills,’ yet another user agreed, while someone else wrote: ‘Steve would be so proud of his babies.’
Robert’s performance, which scored 15 out of 20, has been dubbed ‘the best first dance ever’ on the series.
