Steve Irwin, the Australian zoologist and television personality otherwise known as the Crocodile Hunter, passed away tragically in 2006 when a stingray pierced his heart. He was only 44-years-old at the time of his death and left behind a loving wife and two young children, Bindi and Robert. His daughter Bindi Irwin is now 20-years-old and doesn’t let much time pass without sharing memories of her beloved father. Most recently, she took to Twitter to share a touching clip of her father speaking about the way his life was changed when she was born. The video includes clips of Steve lovingly holding her when she was a baby, according to Today .
Steve never really wanted to be a father, as he spoke about in the video. However, when Bindi was born he couldn’t believe how much love he had for the tiny new edition in his life.
“You know what? I never really wanted to be a dad. I couldn’t really give a rip. And now I am the proudest father, I gotta tell ya. I can’t dwell on her for too long or I start bawling my eyes out.”
In the video, his wife Terri Irwin is seen holding Bindi shortly after giving birth to her. Steve’s eyes are wide as he looks down at his new daughter. He went on to emotionally describe how he took a photo of his daughter with him every time he went out on the field to serve as a reminder of the treasure he’d helped bring into the world.
One of the primary challenges for Steve and Terri in raising Bindi was that they wanted her to live a somewhat normal life. While the public demanded to see more of Bindi on television, her parents limited the number of interviews and photoshoots she was a part of in order to prevent her from missing out on a normal childhood. At the same time, he couldn’t help but bring her along when he took part in his wild adventures documented on his show The Crocodile Hunter .
While Bindi will always miss her dad, she stated that his love will always live on.
“Every time I watch this clip my heart overflows with emotion. The people we love are always with us. Love lives on no matter what & I think that is the most beautiful thing about our existence. Thank you, Dad, this moment captured on camera made my whole life.”
