Robert Irwin gets emotional watching footage of late father Steve: ‘He is my superhero’

Robert Irwin struggled to hold back tears on Wednesday while watching a forgotten clip of his late father, Steve.

Steve ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ Irwin died aged 44 off the coast of Queensland in 2006, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray while filming a nature documentary.

Appearing on BBC Radio 2’s Scott Mills Breakfast Show, Robert, 21, was played a clip of Steve that showed him outlining his dreams for him and his sister, Bindi, 26.

The clip began with Steve asking himself: ‘Is there anything in this world that would want to make me give away what I’m doing now?

‘Yes. Yes, there is,’ he replied. ‘When my children can take the football that I call wildlife conservation and run it up.’

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Robert Irwin (pictured) struggled to hold back tears this week after watching a forgotten clip of his late father Steve

Steve’s voice began to crack with emotion as he admitted that seeing Robert and Bindi take up the wildlife warrior mantle would be his ‘proudest moment’.

‘I guarantee you it’ll be the proudest moment of my life – and my job will be done like my mum and my dad,’ Steve said.

‘Then, and only then, will I know that I have achieved my ultimate goal: to be able to stand aside and let them run up my mission.’

Visibly moved by his father’s words, Robert admitted that his dad would always be his ‘superhero’.

‘It’s emotional to hear that,’ he said. 

‘It means so much, and when you dedicate your life to legacy, it really makes you think about how we all get to create our legacy.’

‘He is my superhero – he always will be. And he was, I think, a superhero to an entire generation.’

Continuing, he said that, 19 years after Steve’s death, friends and people who knew him still regale Robert with tales of his late father.

‘There is not a day goes by where someone doesn’t share a story about him,’ he said.

Steve ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ Irwin died aged 44 off the coast of Queensland in 2006, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray while filming a nature documentary

Appearing on BBC Radio 2’s Scott Mills Breakfast Show, Robert, 21, was played a clip of Steve that showed him outlining his dreams for him and his sister Bindi 

‘To hear that it really means the absolute world. And it really is an honour to make sure that everything he lived and died for continues.’

Steve died on September 4 2006 after being pierced in the chest by a short-tail stingray barb while filming in the Great Barrier Reef with Philippe Cousteau Jr.

A private funeral service was held on September 9 and Steve was buried in a private ceremony at Australia Zoo later that same day.

A public memorial service was held in Australia Zoo’s 5,500-seat Crocoseum on 30 September, and was broadcast live to an estimated audience of more than 300 million.

On the anniversary of his death last year, Steve’s wife Terri shared an emotional tribute to her husband.

The 60-year-old conservationist took to Instagram to share a series of throwback photos that feature Steve with his daughter Bindi and son Robert.

Captioning the sweet post, Terri was full of praise for her late husband and the way his children have picked up the wildlife warrior mantle.

‘Steve had so much love for Robert and Bindi. He was the best dad,’ Terri began.

‘It really is an honour to make sure that everything he lived and died for continues,’ Robert said. Pictured: Terri Irwin, Robert, Bindi and Steve

‘It warms my heart to see how much they always wanted to be just like him. I know he would be proud of the way they have continued his message and mission for conservation.’

Fans and followers flooded the comment section to offer support and gratitude after the mumager shared her moving moment.

One fan wrote: ‘Thank you for sharing that love with us. I grew up to never settle for less,’ capturing the lasting impact Steve and Terri’s relationship has had on their global fanbase.

Singer-songwriter Amy Shark also chimed in, commenting: ‘This is just beautiful.’