Bindi Irwin gave interview in severe pain before being rushed to hospital, missing Steve Irwin tribute gala

Bindi Irwin was quietly suffering from severe pain in the hours leading up to a medical emergency that saw her rushed into surgery for a ruptured appendix during a recent trip to the United States.

The 26-year-old wildlife conservationist had flown to Las Vegas to attend a gala event honouring her late father, Steve Irwin, but was hospitalised shortly after landing.

The mother-of-one was forced to miss the prestigious ceremony, where she had been scheduled to appear alongside her brother Robert and her mother Terri.

In a LinkedIn post this week, Talking Foreign Affairs founder Adil Cader revealed that Irwin completed an awareness-raising interview with him shortly before her departure for the US, despite being in visible discomfort.

“Just hours before flying out for emergency surgery and missing a gala honouring her father’s legacy, Bindi showed up for an interview with us,” Mr Cader wrote.

“She was in intense pain. Yet not once did she ask to wrap early. Not once did her words feel anything but thoughtful and present. Not once did she let on that she was suffering.”

Mr Cader praised Irwin for her quiet strength and commitment to supporting others through their own private struggles.

“She had every reason to cancel. Most would have,” he said.

“That’s what real character looks like. That’s what true leadership is. This is what true grit is like.”

Bindi was later diagnosed with a ruptured appendix and underwent emergency surgery, the Daily Mail reported.

During the procedure, doctors also removed 14 lesions related to endometriosis and repaired a large hernia that had developed following the birth of her daughter, Grace, in 2021.

Bindi opened up on her social media about the procedure she underwent.

She wrote, “My appendix was removed, along with another 14 lesions (after having 37 endometriosis lesions and a cyst removed two years ago)“.

“I also had a repair to a large hernia I acquired through childbirth four years ago. Thankfully, I am on the road to recovery”.

Robert and Terri Irwin both missed the gala and stayed by Bindi’s side in the hospital.

“She’s going to be okay,” Robert said.

“But surgery — out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them.”

Bindi later shared on Instagram that the procedure had been successful and thanked her supporters as she continued to recover.