Robert Irwin breaks down in tears during heartfelt interview as he reveals ‘gift’ his father left him

Robert Irwin has broken down in tears during a heartfelt interview as he opened up about the grief of losing his father, wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin, and the powerful legacy he continues to carry forward.

Robert was only two-years-old when his father died in 2006 after an unprovoked attack by a stingray while filming in the Great Barrier Reef.

“When you lose someone like that so young,” Robert said on the Viall Files podcast, “one of the most important things in my life and one of the things I would really seek out is any kind of connection that I can sort of reclaim to my dad”.

He described how his memories of Steve are “blurry, very, very distant”, but explained that watching old footage of their time together has helped him reconnect.

“It’s happened to me a handful of times in my life, where I will watch footage that I haven’t seen before of me as a two-year-old kid with him and all of a sudden it’s like this wave, it’s like I just get hit with something and all of a sudden, it’s like boom, I remember that,” he said.

“That moment in time just comes back. . .and that is the greatest gift I can receive.”

As the conversation turned to the emotional toll of grief, Robert held back tears.

“In this life, grief, it’s just, it’s part of the deal, and it’s so bloody hard, it’s so hard. There’s no grief journey that’s easy, and there’s no grief journey that is the same as the other,” he said.

“To celebrate dad, to celebrate the person he is, to continue what he loves is the honour of a lifetime.”

The son of the late Crocodile Hunter also revealed a deeply personal moment he experienced after watching one of Steve’s old interviews, where he discussed building a legacy for his children.

“He always said, ‘My whole mission is to create a legacy that my kids can continue,’” Robert said.

“So, for me watching that, it’s like he gave me this gift. It’s there, it’s material, it’s in writing. I’m watching him looking through the camera and telling me I’m not always going to be here, but I’m creating something that you can continue, and that’s what I want you to do.

“That’s what I get to do now, and it fills me with a lot of pride,” Robert said through tears.

The emotional interview comes just days after Robert’s tearful performance on Dancing with the Stars, where he dedicated a dance to his mother, Terri Irwin.

The routine, set to Phil Collins’ You’ll Be in My Heart, left the audience and judges in tears, with Robert collapsing into Terri’s arms at the end of the performance.

“The legacy that my mum and dad created is incredible. They were just the ultimate team, and they created something that I, my sister, we get to continue, and it’s a message that is so important.”

“She is an incredibly strong human being and she made sure dad was always a part of my life.”