Terri Irwin weighs in on son Robert’s new-found sex symbol status after Bonds underwear ad

Terri Irwin has shared her thoughts on son Robert Irwin’s new-found sex symbol status following that underwear ad.

Terri Irwin has shared her thoughts on son Robert Irwin’s new-found sex symbol status after he posed in his underwear for a recent Bonds ad campaign.

Robert has been soaring high in recent years. Along with keeping his father Steve Irwin’s legacy alive by maintaining Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast, the 21-year-old is also the host of I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and most recently he appeared in an underwear ad for Bonds, which caught the attention of women worldwide.

Robert Irwin almost broke the internet when he stripped down to his underwear for a Bonds ad.

Mum Terri says his new-found sex symbol status is ‘a lot’.

In a new interview with Stellar, his mother Terri has weighed in on those photos that almost broke the internet.

“Steve used to say to me, ‘It wasn’t until I started filming and became the Crocodile Hunter that girls looked at me twice,” Terri shared. “He was 30, by the way, when we got married. So he goes, ‘Where were they?’”

“So on one hand, cool for Robert to have flattering attention, and on the other hand, it’s a lot.”

Terri Irwin is proud of her children Robert and Bindi. Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP

Elsewhere in the interview, Terri got real about the complex emotions she still carries almost 20 years on from the death of her husband.

The 60-year-old American conservationist reflected on the passing of her beloved husband and how she learnt to embrace the “blessing” behind his death in 2006.

Speaking candidly to the magazine, Terri explains that seeing Steve’s death make global news at the time was surprisingly beneficial to her mourning.

Terri reflects on the death of her beloved husband Steve Irwin in a new interview with Stellar.

“The fact that I never have to tell anyone what happened to Steve because they already know is kind of a blessing, especially at first when it’s really difficult,” she said of her late husband, who tragically passed away 19 years ago following an accident with a stingray.

“I have seen it with my friends when they’ve lost someone. It’s just a natural part of conversation to say, ‘Oh my god, what happened?’ and they have to relive it over and over and over again. I don’t, because people know what happened.”

Terri and Steve were married for 14 years before his sudden death in 2006. Picture: X

Terri also shared how she navigated life after Steve’s death aged just 44, stressing how important it was to keep her circle small and mourn at her own pace.

“It’s incredibly important that you travel your own road, and the only rules are that it can’t hurt you and it can’t hurt anyone else. You’re not going to find solace in the bottom of a bottle of tequila. That’s just going to hurt you,” she said.

“When someone passes, everyone in your circle responds with the best behaviour and the worst behaviour you could have ever imagined. And that’s shocking.”

Terri says she is still “lonely for Steve” after all these years. Picture: X

In the interview, Terri also revealed why she happily chose to remain single after all these years – she and Steve had been married for 14 years at the time of his death.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of lovely people out there in the world, but I did find my happily ever after, and I think I still have a lot of love in my life,” she said.

“So I’m lonely for Steve, but I’m not lonely. I never mourn being on my own and not being in a relationship. I think we need to say that.”

The couple’s daughter Bindi was only 8 when Steve died and son Robert was 2. Picture: X

“I think women are still amazing, fulfilled, incredible people – even if you never marry, if you have four kids, or two kids, or no kids. There’s no rules.”

By her side through it all are the couple’s children Robert and daughter Bindi, who at the time were aged 2 and 8, respectively. Her kids are her pride and joy, and she loves standing in the wings as she watches them forge their own paths.

As Robert continues to make his mark on TV – he is set to join the upcoming season of US Dancing With The Stars – Bindi has her hands full with her 4-year-old daughter, Grace, who she shares with Chandler Powell.

Bindi with husband Chandler Powell and daughter Grace. Picture: Instagram

“Bindi is a way better mother than I ever was. I say that with sincere admiration. I’m not berating myself. We all do our very level best, but she is so smart and so across everything – and Grace is the most healthy, well adjusted, beautiful little girl,” Terri shared.

The proud grandma says that Grace is already familiar with her late grandpa and even says, “There’s Grandpa Crocodile” when she sees a photo of him at Australia Zoo.

Grace even thinks that her Uncle Robert looks a lot like her grandpa, sometimes mixing them up when she sees a photo of Robert.

“She’ll often say, ‘There’s Grandpa Crocodile’ to a picture of Robert. That’s kind of sweet,” Terri says.

Read the full interview with Terri Irwin in this week’s Stellar, inside today’s Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA)

Originally published as Terri Irwin weighs in on son Robert’s new-found sex symbol status after Bonds underwear ad