The Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin died in 2006 in a tragic diving accident at the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. Since then, his widow Terri Irwin and their two children, Bindi Irwin and Robert Irwin have continued on Steve’s legacy by running the Australia Zoo just north of Brisbane, Queensland.
We often remember Bindi as a young girl, but in 2020 the 25-year-old got married to Chandler Powell in a secret ceremony at Australia Zoo. They had planned for a large wedding of 200 guests, but the pandemic caused them to change their plans and instead, they opted to go ahead with a mere three very personal guests — Terri, Robert and Steve’s best friend, Wes Mannion. What’s most touching is that Bindi’s wedding dress paid homage to her father, with distinctive sunflower lace sleeves that “mimicked” her mom’s dress and “reminded me of my family and my dad,” she told People.
What’s more, Bindi and Chandler had their first baby the following year. She gave birth to Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, on March 25, 2021, and has posted cherished moments on social media ever since.
Lately, however, it’s Terri who’s been in the media spotlight. In the last years, the widow has been romantically linked to a number of famous men and she’s finally spoken out about the rumors. In an interview with local Brisbane newspaper the Courier Mail, Terri spoke about her love life and in a tender moment, revealed that Steve was the only guy for her.
Terry Irwin, Steve Irwin (2002), (Denise Truscello/contributor/Getty images)
In the interview with the Courier Mail, Terri spoke about the rumors that she had dated everyone from John Travolta to Russell Crowe. She told the publication:
“I’ve stopped counting all the men I am supposed to have had flings with … the more recent one is John Travolta, which is new to the mix.”
She continued:
“But you know, and I keep saying this, and I think maybe 15 years later people are finally starting to believe me, Steve was it for me … That’s just the way it is. I had a big, big love and it was enough to last a lifetime.”
But Travolta isn’t the only big star she’s been linked to. For years, Terri has had to deny romantic ties to Australian actor Russell Crowe. She’s repeatedly insisted that the two are just friends. In 2017 she told Access Hollywood, as reported by Us Weekly:
“In all honesty, he (Russell) and Steve became friends many years ago, and after Steve passed, you find out who your true friends are. And Russell has been very loyal as a great friend.”
But those aren’t the only famous men she’s had to fight off rumors about. Terri was also linked to the late Australian professional cricket player Shane Warne, who had a history as a ladies’ man. Women’s Day wrote about the alleged relationship between Terri and the cricketer while an unnamed source suggested the couple “secretly fell in love” after they met in 2016 on the set of the reality show “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!”
Bindi Irwin, Steve Irwin, Terri Irwin (2002), (SGranitz/WireImage)
The unnamed “insider” told Women’s Day:
“As soon as she heard Shane Warne speak, Terri had butterflies.”
They added:
“He was funny, charming, and Australian as they come — she was instantly transported back to when she met her husband.”
Although Terri hasn’t commented directly about her alleged ties to Warne, she did discuss the fact that she’s been linked to “25 men” according to varying reports. She said in the Courier Mail interview:
“So far it’s 25 men I have had a relationship with. I have kept track because it’s kind of funny … Let’s see, apparently it’s all the Hogans — that’s Paul and Hulk, Russell Crowe, and most recently, it’s Richard Wilkins.”
Wilkins is an Australian entertainment reporter who has been photographed with Terri in professional settings. As she pointed out, the number of men that she’s been linked to in recent years is almost comical. But it seems the mother-of-two wasn’t lying when she said that Steve truly was the man for her. Since his untimely passing in 2006 Terri hasn’t publicly dated anyone else.
The couple first met in 1991 when Terri, a naturalist from Oregon, visited Australia Zoo on a work trip, and it was love at first sight. Terri once said in an interview with Who Magazine:
“I thought there was no one like this anywhere in the world. He sounded like an environmental Tarzan, a larger-than-life superhero guy.”
The couple married the following year before having Bindi and Robert a few years later. Together, they worked at Australia Zoo where they shared their love of nature and animals with the world.
Terry Irwin (2016), (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty images)
What do you think about Terri Irwin’s rumored romances with many famous men? What about her admission that Steve Irwin was the only man for her? Let us know and pass this on so others can read about it too!