Robert Irwin’s secret meet-up with Netflix star weeks after admitting dating life is ‘challenging to navigate’

As cosy photos emerge, Robert Irwin has fuelled more dating rumours with a US actress just weeks after discussing his “difficult” dating life.

Robert Irwin has sparked further dating rumours after he was spotted having a private meet-up with an American actress.

Just before taking out the title on US Dancing With the Stars on Wednesday, the Aussie Wildlife Warrior, 21, was pictured privately hanging out with Xochitl Gomez ahead of the big finale.

Robert Irwin was photographed having a secret meet-up with US actress Xochitl Gomez on November 25 before the Dancing With the Stars finale. Picture: BACKGRID

The Netflix star met Irwin backstage at DWTS in LA and gifted him a bunch of flowers as they laughed and later embraced. Picture: BACKGRID

Irwin is said to have introduced Gomez to members of the Irwin family, further fuelling speculation about their budding romance. Picture: BACKGRID

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In the photos, 19-year-old Gomez – who rose to fame in Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club – gifted Irwin a massive bouquet of flowers before giving him an affectionate hug. The pair were then seen laughing and chatting during their exchange.

A source told Page Six that Gomez also “spent some time backstage” with members of Irwin’s family.

The cosy encounter comes weeks after Irwin said dating in the public eye is “challenging to navigate”. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Gomez rose to fame in 2020 in the Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club, playing Dawn Schafer. Picture: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

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Irwin first sparked romance rumours earlier this month when he performed an intimate dance with Gomez, who won the dance competition series two years ago with Val Chmerkovskiy.

For the show’s 20th anniversary celebration episode, the pair partnered up on the dance floor where their chemistry was undeniable.

“We had the best time,” he told TMZ at the time. “That dance was so much fun.”

To celebrate 20 incredible years of DWTS, Irwin teamed up with Gomez for a spicy dance. Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images

This isn’t the first time Irwin has been romantically linked with a star affiliated with DWTS. One month before his private powwow with Gomez, he was seen getting cosy with troupe dancer – a stunning rising star named Hailey Bills, 19, who performs on the show as a background dancer.

Irwin won the Dancing With The Stars mirrorball trophy on Wednesday with dance partner Witney Carson. Picture: Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images

According to reports by celebrity gossip account Deux Moi, Irwin and Bills became close this season, with the pair reportedly inseparable both on set and off.

“Everyone’s favourite DWTS bachelor has paused his search for his American dream girl to have some play time beyond the ballroom,” read a Deux Moi email shared on Instagram last month.

“My sources tell me he’s been spotted a few times getting cosy with a brunette … The same one he follows around on set. She’s the only troupe member he follows on Instagram.”

Irwin’s latest romantic encounter with Gomez comes after he admitted to the New York Times that being in the public eye has made his dating life difficult at times.

Just last month, the Aussie star was romantically linked to DWTS troupe member Hailey Bills. Picture: Instagram

“Holy moly, that’s so challenging to navigate,” he told the masthead in an interview last week, in which he said of dating, “anything you do will be on TikTok the next day”.

But the popular personality said that the constant speculation about his private life doesn’t stop him for living fully.

“I never change what I say, what I do, who I am one bit, wherever I am,” he explained, adding that he has “no persona to hide behind”.

“It’s just me, and I stand by who I am.”

Originally published as Robert Irwin’s secret meet-up with Netflix star weeks after admitting dating life is ‘challenging to navigate’