A “Dancing With the Stars” champ hasn’t been on the best of terms with a family member.
In June 2021, Bindi Irwin shared that she didn’t have a relationship with her grandfather, Bob Irwin.
“Unfortunately my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family,” she wrote, according to 7News. “Publicly he continues to claim that he wants to spend time with us while privately me entire life has been psychological abuse from him,” she continued.
“He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart but it is not healthy to engage in an abusive relationship,” she added.
The admission came when someone asked why she had left her grandfather out of a father’s day tribute in which she had included her own father, Steve Irwin, and her husband, Chandler Powell. The post, which was uploaded on Facebook, appears to have been deleted.
Shortly thereafter, the Daily Mail reported that the Irwin family was very upset with Bindi for her Facebook post — which could be the reason that it has been taken down.
Now, a source has come forward with an update of sorts — and it doesn’t sound like things have been resolved.
Here’s what you need to know:
A Source Said That Bob Doesn’t Have a Relationship With His Great Granddaughter
At the beginning of September 2022, an unnamed source spoke with Woman’s Day to give an update on Bob. The source said that he doesn’t have a relationship with Bindi’s daughter — his great granddaughter — Grace Warrior.
“After everything, he just wanted to get as far away as he could from Australia Zoo, Terri, and the ‘commercial theme park’ he said she was creating against Steve’s vision,” the source told Woman’s Day.
“Out there, he can still work with wildlife, but it’s off the grid so he’s rarely bothered. He still talks about Steve and the kids, but it’s with sadness. I’m sure he’s devastated not to know his great-grandchild,” the source added.
Heavy has attempted to contact Bindi for comment.
Bindi Has Ensured That Bob Is Taken Care of
Bindi explained that her grandfather has “returned gifts” and “ignored correspondence” from her.
“From the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me,” Bindi wrote on the now-deleted Facebook post, according to 7News.
Despite not having a relationship with her father’s father, Bindi previously made it clear that she set her grandfather up for success and made sure that he was taken care of by giving him a place to live.
“We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his well-being,” she had written on Facebook in 2021.
“I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health. I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain,” she added.
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