Bindi Irwin has paid tribute to her late father in a heartwarming Instagram post earlier to mark Father’s Day.
Bindi, the daughter of the widely renowned ‘crocodile hunter’ and zookeeper Steve Irwin, shared a montage of private footage showing the now-21-year-old as a baby in her dad’s arms.
The footage shared by the young conservationist shows baby Bindi smiling and giggling with both Steve and her mum, Terri Irwin, as the young couple enjoy one another’s company as new parents.
You can watch the footage below:
The video, which shows Steve playing with toy animals and making his daughter laugh as he rolls around on the ground with them, quickly went viral – receiving more than 500k views in less than 24 hours.
Bindi wrote, alongside the montage:
It’s Father’s Day here in Australia. Reflecting on these wonderful moments. Hug the people in your life who bring light to your heart and always remember that love lasts forever.
Steve Irwin died in 2006 at the age of 44, while on location shooting the documentary series Ocean’s Deadliest. Steve became famous worldwide for his TV show The Crocodile Hunter, which ran between 1996 and 2004. He and his wife Terri also ran the Australia Zoo in Queensland.
This isn’t the first time Bindi has paid tribute to her late father on social media. Just last month, she wrote a heartfelt letter to her dad about her wedding day, confirming her younger brother Robert will be the one to walk her down the aisle.
After getting engaged to childhood sweetheart Chandler Powell during her 21st birthday party on July 24 while surrounded by friends and family, the conservationist took to social media to share an old picture of her family.
Underneath the picture, Bindi wrote a heartfelt message to her dad, telling him he would be ‘incredibly proud’ of his son who has provided ‘amazing support’ to her and Chandler during this ‘beautiful new chapter’.
She then confirmed Robert would walk her down the aisle on her big day, writing:
I know you’d be beaming with pride when the time comes that he walks me down the aisle. I wish you could be here for these moments, but I know that your spirit lives on in us.
Bindi has continued to keep her dad’s legacy alive alongside her mum and 15-year-old brother Robert, by keeping up with Steve’s work at the zoo since his death.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).