Terri Irwin has opened up about the grief of losing her husband and the ‘deal’ they had made prior to his death, in a heartfelt interview about her life as a single woman and mother.

It has been close to 14 years since the ‘Crocodile Hunter’ passed away in a tragic event in Batt Reef, off the coast of Queensland. But while Australia was grieving the loss of the Aussie icon and reminiscing on his great adventures, Terri said she was in planning mode, as the family worked to continue Steve’s wildlife dream.

Speaking to The Courier Mail recently, the 55-year-old said at first they “went to ground” and watched continuous documentaries of Steve, but it wasn’t long before they were back to filming and taking care of the zoo. Terri said she had to make sure their “deal” was followed through with, no matter how much sadness was being felt.

“We had a deal that if he died first I would keep everything going, so it was never really: ‘Am I going to do this?’ but it was, ‘Oh my goodness, I am actually going to have to do this’,” she told The Courier Mail.

“And I was, to be completely honest, so afraid. I was so afraid, and it confused me because I never thought of myself as a fearful person.”

However, Terri said she knew she couldn’t pretend to be Steve, and had to just focus on their 10-year plan, “ticking it off, box by box”. The family continued filming their television series and used the income to build the zoo.

Now all those years later the zoo is still thriving, with people visiting from right across the globe. Bindi and Robert and continued their father’s legacy as well, supporting their mother throughout the journey.

But, when it comes to romance, Terri also wanted to set the record straight, telling The Courier Mail, despite rumours, she is not romantically involved with Aussie actor Russell Crowe, or the many other men she’s rumoured to have dated.

The mother said while Russell is a good friend, that has supported her through the loss of her husband, there is no romantic relationship between the pair.