Terri Irwin Opens Up About Ten Years Without Steve
- Publish Date
- Monday, 8 August 2016, 9:21AM
Millions mourned with her when her husband Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray in September 2006.
And ten years on, Terri Irwin says no-one has taken his place in her heart with the mother-of-two revealing in this month's The Australian Woman's Weekly she hasn't dated since his death.
'I haven't been on a single date since Steve died,' she told the publication, as they discussed life for the Irwin matriarch, a decade after her husband's tragic death.
The 52-year-old revealed it wasn't because she thought it was wrong to marry again but that she's simply loving her life with her two children, Bindi and Robert, and hasn't been looking.
The American-born wildlife warrior met Steve on an educational trip to Australia in the early '90s and after a whirlwind romance they were married just months later.
'If I hadn't met Steve, I probably would never have married because I wasn't looking for love when I met him. What we had was incredible,' she said.
The mother-of-two recalls that after their wedding in the U.S. state of Oregon, the two caught their first crocodile together - on their honeymoon.
Steve had heard about a couple of crocs that were in danger of being killed by poachers, so they got on a plane back to Australia to catch them before it was too late.
In what was a defining moment of their relationship, the newlyweds doubled-teamed a massive three-metre female after it had been caught in a net trap.
Terri was tasked with wrestling the croc herself while her husband got the net off it, and at first thought she had heard Steve's plan properly.
'I flung myself on her head first and I was amazed at the strength. They are like flexed muscle - they're just powerful... It stopped being scary and became a privilege really quickly,' she said.
Since his passing, the blonde has committed to keeping The Crocodile Hunter's legacy alive through his conservation work, Australia Zoo, and raising their children Bindi, 18, and Robert, 12.
But it took a long time for Terri to move on from his death, admitting she kept all his things, even his toothbrush, as they were when he was still alive.
She could not even bear to cut her hair for years after, because he had always liked her with long hair.
It was not until two years ago when she remodelled their three-bedroom house near Australia Zoo to give teenage Bindi her own bathroom that she cleared it all into boxes.
His office is still as he left it though, with a sign above the desk proclaiming him the original wildlife warrior and a filing cabinet crammed with photos of animals he took from all over the world.
The Crocodile Hunter's two children Bindi and Robert are also both keen to continue their father's work and have taken an active interest in his conservation work, while also promoting Australia Zoo with Bindi's recent 18th Birthday Bash held there.
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