Terri Irwin has admitted she kept her late husband Steve’s clothes in the cupboard “for years” as she struggled to come to terms with her grief, in a rare and emotional interview.
The 53-year-old opened up in a moving chat with Sunday Night, and revealed she feels him with her every day.
“Every day it’s difficult, and after 11 years it’s like the grief goes from being a rock in your heart to walking beside you,” the brave mum-of-two said.
“It’s always there, and I never really know when it’s going to hit me. And sometimes it can be the most inopportune time that I feel overwhelmingly emotional but, you know, it’s okay.”
The couple, who are parents to Bindi, 19, and Robert, 14, built up Australia Zoo together, and Terri has continued her husband’s legacy ever since he died.
However, while she’s kept busy, she said it took her some time to manage her grief and juggle it with day to day life.
“For years I still had Steve’s clothes in the cupboard,” she added on the show. “Do I miss him? Constantly. But I think I was so lucky to get my happily ever after. I married this great guy who was a stack of fun and we went on all these adventures, he was very strong-willed, we had these great arguments about things, it was just the most fantastic time of my life.
“The best part are our two kids. We ended up with two perfect children.”
Terri admitted, while she can’t deny her late husband’s good looks, it was his passion and love for crocodiles that first attracted her to him.
“He spoke of them with such love and compassion … it was impossible not to fall in love with crocs around Steve,” she admitted.
Steve was killed by a stingray while filming a documentary in 2006 at the age of 44. His family has gone on to continue his life’s legacy of caring for animals.
It comes after the whole family came together in America to pay tribute to the ‘Crocodile Hunter’, as he was officially given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Bindi broke down in tears as she paid an emotional tribute to her late father, as she was joined at the unveiling ceremony by her mum, brother, and boyfriend Chandler Powell, 21, as she took to the stand to give a short speech to fans.
“I’m going to get a little bit emotional because it’s such a special day,” she said, before sobbing and hugging her mum. “I have to tell you that I never in my wildest dreams imagined that this would become a reality, and this is such an honour as a family to continue in dad’s footsteps. So thank you for being here today and supporting us.”
She added: “And you know what? We’ll always be a family. So congratulations and woohoo.”