“The thing I didn’t expect or understand was just how [the death] affected everyone,” she continued. “So we got back and it was dark, and we drive into the zoo and there’s all this media out front of the zoo. And I thought, ‘You’ve done the story. It has been on the five o’clock news. Why are you still here?’ But then no one would have been more surprised than Steve at that, just outpouring of grief and love.”
Terri Irwin Reveals Steve Irwin ‘Never Thought He’d Have A Long Life’
Terri Irwin, Steve Irwin’s widow, said that the “Crocodile Hunter” never believed he’d live a long life. In the latest interview, she remembers his legacy.
By Admin on July 18, 2018
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Terri Irwin, Steve Irwin’s widow, said that the “Crocodile Hunter” never believed he’d live a long life.
“You know he never thought he would have a long life. He just always kind of had this sense that his life would be cut short,” Terri said on ABC’s Anh’s Brush with Fame. “I remember him saying to me, ‘I don’t think I am going to film anymore. I think I am just going to spend time with my kids.'”
The world mourned his loss on September 4, 2006, when he died after a stingray barb struck his heart. He was 44.
Though the accident happened 12 years ago, Terri still gets emotional talking about her husband.
“Grief hits you at the most bizarre times. So I might be talking to biology students and it will remind me of Steve and I will burst into tears,” she said. “You don’t ever get over grief. It changes, but you never wake up one morning and go, ‘Oh, I’m done with that.’ That was the challenge in the journey after Steve died.”
Related: Steve Irwin’s Family Returning To Animal Planet [WATCH]
At the time of his death, the couple’s daughter, Bindi, was 8, and Robert was only 2. Terri recalls that the last time she saw Steve alive was when she was on a plane with their two children headed to Tasmania.
“I felt so bad for Robert because he was too little,” she said. “He was in his seat belt and fun police [referring to herself] didn’t take the seat belt off so he could see his dad and wave goodbye. And that was the last time we saw him.”
To this day, Terri is humbled and in awe of the impact that Steve has had to the public.
