In case you haven’t been keeping up, Robert Irwin has been the one to watch on this year’s season of Dancing with the Stars in the US.
From showing off his skills in the season’s opener to ‘Born to Be Wild’, to debuting his new character in the upcoming Disney movie Zootopia 2 in last week’s episode, there’s been plenty of excitement for viewers each and every week.
But today, the tables turned, leaving fans in tears following an emotional tribute to his mom, Terri Irwin.
“She was there. And that was enough.”
This week’s theme on DWTS was Dedication Night, meaning each of the celebrities would choose someone in their lives to perform a special tribute to.
Many chose friends or siblings. For Robert, it was a no-brainer – it had to be his mom, Terri.
“I want to dedicate this dance to my mom,” he shared in the Week 5 episode.
“She’s an absolute hero to me, because I was two when I lost dad, and as I got older, I suddenly realised just how hard it would have been for her to be there for us, and all the while, continue dad’s legacy that her and dad built together.”
Through tears, Robert shared that he’d ‘never been able to capture the feeling of gratitude’.
“At every milestone, I just wished that my dad was there,” he said.
“She was there. And that was enough.”
“You gave us all of your heart and soul”
With his partner, Witney Carson, the two performed a contemporary dance to the song ‘You’ll Be In My Heart’ by Phil Collins – a song he originally wrote for the 1999 film Tarzan, dedicated to his daughter Lily Collins.
The emotional performance concluded with an appearance from Terri herself, joining Robert on the dance floor for a moment before tears rolled down their cheeks – though it’s hard to believe there would be a dry eye in the house.
Bindi Irwin – who performed a piece for her dad when she won the series back in 2015 – watched on in the audience with her husband Chandler Powell.
The dance was met with praise from all four judges: Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough, and special guest judge Kym Johnson-Herjavec.
“You gave us all of your heart and soul,” Bruno said.
“All I can say is this was the true expression of everlasting love.”
Derek – Bindi’s partner on her series – also raved about the piece, and Robert: “I just have so much love for you guys. I’m so proud of you… The world needs the Irwin family.”
We’re rooting for you, Robert!
The piece ultimately received a score of 35 out of a possible 40 – including his first three nines – putting him in second place on the final leaderboard.
Robert was just one point behind Zac Efron’s brother, Dylan Efron, and his partner Daniella Karagach, and was tied with influencer Alix Earle and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy – both having dedicated their dances to their youngest sisters.
At the end of the episode, it was announced that no one would be going home, meaning Robert will get to dance for at least one more week.
Robert is one of the season’s frontrunners, along with Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt.
