Bindi Irwin Breaks Down During Touching Tribute To Steve Irwin on ‘DWTS,’ Gets First 10 Of The Season


It was an emotional roller coaster for Bindi Irwin on Monday night on Dancing with the Stars. All of the contestants recalled their Most Memorable Year as their emotions were reflected in their dances. For the Australian teen, her most memorable year was 2006 when her dad, Steve Irwin, passed away unexpectedly. Those memories ended up with his daughter in tears as she paid tribute to her dad, as Entertainment Weekly had reported.

Bindi told partner Derek Hough that it was time to tell her story after nine years. It was a tearjerker moment for pretty much everyone, including those working behind-the-scenes filming the rehearsals for the pre-recorded segments. During practice, viewers saw the 17-year-old break down when Derek mentioned a move that he wanted to do.

Getty Images
Getty Images

It seems that Bindi remembered how her dad used to have her grab just one of his fingers when she was quite young. It was a fond memory that was stirred up when her pro partner suggested that for their dance, not knowing it would spark memories and have her break down in his arms when he said it. Once she dried her eyes, the dance came alive for them. Derek Hough also felt the high emotions of his young partner.

“When Bindi lost her father, you know, the whole world kind of did. We all feel like we knew him, which is why it was so devastating. It gets you thinking about just how precious life is.”

Getty Images
Getty Images

During the segment, Teri Irwin talked about how close her daughter was with her late husband, and how hard it was for her when he died from a stingray barb. She said that those two were inseparable. It hit the family hard when the news came that the wildlife icon had passed away, but for his 8-year-old daughter, it was a huge loss, as Teri explained.

“Bindi was so strong at the time, but when you love someone that much, it’s like totally losing a piece of your heart. You’re really not gonna get over it.”

The teenager has kept her father in her heart ever since that time. However, Dancing with the Stars seems to bring out the inner emotions of the celebrity dancers and for Bindi Irwin, this may have been the most emotional that she has been about this tragic situation, at least in public. Everyone is used to seeing this bubbly, full-of-life girl who loves to spend time with animals and nature just like her dad. It was a different side of her that the world is not used to seeing. This statement from her was heartbreaking but showed just how much she misses her dad.

“It took a really long time to understand what actually happened. For the rest of my life, I’ll kind of feel like he’s going to come home.”

Despite all of the tears and heartbreak on Monday night, Bindi and Derek gave a gorgeous performance doing their contemporary dance to “Every Breath You Take” in honor of Steve Irwin. They were given the first 10 of the season, thanks to judge Bruno Tonioli. They earned the highest score of the night with 28 out of 30.

How did Bindi Irwin hold it together while she was on the ballroom floor? According to People, Derek Hough said that he had to close her ears while her emotional segment was shown beforehand. Instead, he wanted to make her laugh so their dance wouldn’t be affected.

“I was just holding her ears and blocking it out so we could focus on the dance and then after the dance you can let it out because it is hard to hysterically cry while dancing.”

She did let it out after the dance was over with. Even Bruno got highly emotional after Bindi ran over to hug him and cry on his shoulder for a minute after he presented her with her first 10.

What did you think of Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough’s dance last night?

[Photo by Getty Images]

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