DWTS Champ Shares Heartbreaking Thing She’d Tell Her Late Dad

A former “Dancing with the Stars” champion talks about her late father often, and fans also miss the beloved entertainer. Recently, Bindi Irwin revealed what she would say to her late father, “The Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin if she had the opportunity.

Here’s what you need to know:

Bindi Irwin Admits Every Day Without Her Dad Is Hard

On May 29, Bindi talked with Us Weekly about her father. The “Dancing with the Stars” champion spoke about how the family keeps Steve’s memory alive at the Australia Zoo where they live.

Even though Bindi’s 3-year-old daughter, Warrior Grace, never met her grandfather, she knows all about him thanks to the family keeping his memory alive. “He was the same person in real life as he was on screen, so I feel like Grace is able to grow up knowing him,” Bindi noted.

They frequently play videos of Steve for Grace. “As soon as we turn Dad on, she starts doing her imitation, yelling ‘Crikey!’ through the living room,” Bindi revealed.

“If I had the chance, the one thing I’d say to my dad is, ‘I love you, and I miss you. Every day that you aren’t here is hard. But we hope to be making you proud,” Bindi shared.

The “Dancing with the Stars” champion explained, “I think when there’s love that is that great, it never truly goes away. He’s always with us.”

Irwin’s Daughter, Warrior Grace, Is a Lot Like Steve

Us Weekly also spoke with Bindi during the EndoFound Blossom Ball and the Steve Irwin Gala Las Vegas in May. The “Dancing with the Stars” winner admitted she sees a lot of her dad in Grace.

“Oh my goodness, yes. She’s such a non-stop force of nature,” Bindi admitted. “Genuinely, if she’s not running around, that means she’s asleep. There’s no ‘off’ button,” she added.

“She gets that strength and energy from the Irwin side,” Bindi quipped. She continued, “If my dad was still alive, we’d never see Grace — he’d take her and be like, ‘Let’s go climb the mountain and go see these animals!’”

The “Dancing with the Stars” champion described Grace as “the most beautiful and hilarious and wonderful soul.” Bindi also shared, “Honestly, she’s the one who runs Australia Zoo at this point.”

“She helps at the wildlife hospital, holding tortoises and feeling giraffes,” the toddler’s mom noted. The tortoises are Grace’s favorite, Bindi revealed.

Bindi also suggested, “She’s going to take over the world. She has so much energy and passion and determination.” The “Dancing with the Stars” winner is confident Grace will be good at whatever she decides she wants to do, “because she has those Irwin power genetics at play.”

Bindi’s mom Terri recently shared another sweet tidbit about Grace and Steve. As People shared on May 12, Grace sometimes mistakenly refers to her Uncle Robert as “Grandpa Crocodile.”

As fans of the family have seen, Robert seems to be following in his father’s footsteps. He also resembles Steve quite a bit, so it’s not necessarily a mystery that Grace sometimes mistakes Robert for Steve.

Terri adores her granddaughter, and Bindi noted the feeling is mutual. She told Us Weekly that Grace calls Terri “Bunny” and “she just lights up” whenever she gets to spend the night with her grandmother.

“The fact that Grace gets to grow up surrounded by so much love means the absolute world,” Bindi gushed.

Stacy Carey has been a freelance writer focusing on reality television and celebrity news for more than a decade. She is a Heavy contributor for The Bachelor, Hallmark and Dancing With the Stars. More about Stacy Carey