An Emotional Robert Irwin Brings Judges to Tears on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ After Dance for Mom Terri
In a recent episode of Dancing With the Stars, Robert Irwin brought the room to tears with his emotional dance for his mom, Terri. During the show’s Dedication Night, Robert chose to dance to the Phil Collins song “You’ll Be In My Heart” in honor of his mother. Terri, who attended the performance, joked that she was there to cry. She was far from the only person who had to dry their eyes after Robert’s dance, though.
Robert Irwin brought people to tears with his dance for his mom, Terri Irwin
On Oct. 14, Robert and his partner, Witney Carson, performed a dance dedicated to his mother. He spoke of the way Terri supported him after the death of his father, conservationist Steve Irwin.
“I’ve never been able to capture the feeling of gratitude I feel for her,” he said. “At every milestone, when I just wish, when I just wish that my dad was there, she was there, and that was enough.”
He said he wanted to express gratitude and convey how proud his father would be of Terri.
“I struggle a lot with losing dad a lot,” he said. “She always made sure my dad was present in our lives. I wanted to know how proud my dad would be of her.”
Beyond that, Irwin said he hoped to honor mothers and anybody who has lost a loved one.
“I feel like this dance has just been a culmination of so much emotion,” he said. “I just want this to be a point of vulnerability. I want this to be a dance, not only for my mum, but for all of the mums out there who don’t get the recognition they deserve. I want this to be a dance for anyone who’s lost someone.”
Robert was visibly moved as he embraced his mother after the dance. He wasn’t the only one who was emotional. Judges Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough swallowed back tears as they gave critiques following the dance, and Carson wiped her eyes. Many audience members also appeared teary-eyed.
Robert Irwin posted a tribute to his mom on social media
Ahead of his dance, Robert shared several photos dedicated to his mother on social media.
“It has been an emotional week in rehearsals,” he wrote in the caption of one Instagram post. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my mum and her strength, I’ve been reminiscing on the times we’ve spent as a family and how she has kept my dad part of my life. This dance is for my mum, it’s for anyone who’s lost someone… and it’s for all the strong mothers of the world who deserve our recognition and appreciation.”
In another, he said he hoped to use the dance to share his parents’ legacy with the world.
His sister won ‘Dancing With the Stars’
Bindi Irwin, Robert’s older sister, was in the audience during his performance. In the past, though, their positions were reversed. Bindi won Season 21 of Dancing With the Stars. Robert joked that he has big shoes to fill.
“I have so many memories of being there and watching [my sister, Bindi],” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I was just in such awe. You know, she won with flying colors. So no pressure [laughs].”
He said he has wanted to be on the show since Bindi did it, though.
“But I just want to follow in her footsteps and bring that kind of passion and energy into it,” he said. “I don’t expect to do half the job she did. But it was like a little childhood dream that I’ve had for 10 years. It feels pretty wild that I’m finally fulfilling it.”
