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Robert Irwin breaks down in tears over dad Steve Irwin: 'I lucked out'
"It makes me emotional, even now."
Ahead of his debut as host on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, Robert Irwin appeared on Jessica Rowe's podcast The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show.
Jess mentioned to Robert that most Australians feel like they had a relationship with his late father Steve Irwin, who passed away in 2006, with the 20-year-old sharing "the most powerful" thing that has come from his interactions with the general public.
"Can I tell you something interesting?" Robert began. "This is probably the most powerful thing. People will come up to me, and it's a very emotional thing, and people will say, 'I grew up without a father figure,' a lot of time, you know people will say [that].
"Whether it's through death, whatever circumstance it is, people will say, 'I grew up without a father figure and your dad, Robert, was a father figure to me.'"
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Robert began tearing up as he shared this story, telling Jess, "What an amazing thing. What an incredible person that he had such an energy, a powerful energy, He was like a father figure for an entire generation. That is such a beautiful thing. And it makes me emotional, even now.
"I lucked out. I really lucked out big time," he added. "He was just the most devoted dad in the world. Really was."
Jess asked if Robert ever felt as though he didn't want to share his father with his fans, with the young presenter saying he's never felt that way.
"See, it's a funny thing," he began. "I never really thought about that because dad... was and is just incredibly devoted. I mean, to our family, the thing he was most passionate about, well, than anything else, was family. And so he was always there. I mean, one hundred per cent of the time, the most incredible, dedicated father. And that is such a beautiful thing. I feel so lucky that I had that. Not everyone gets that. I feel very lucky that I had that, especially in my...in the short time I got to spend with him, I'm just very lucky that I have so many memories, but I think it's beautiful.
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"I think it's wonderful how many people were affected by his message, by his energy, by the way he lived his life. I think that's just a wonderful thing. So honestly, I see it as a really incredible thing. And the fact that I get to keep his message going, you know, when people still talk about how much he meant to them, I see that not really as sharing him with other people, but in seeing that his message and what he would have cared about is still alive and people still appreciate that."
He continued, "'Cause the world's going through a really tough time, even more so than when he was alive and he knew that the world was on a downhill spiral. We needed to do something to protect our environment. We need a universal figure that everyone can get behind to really spark change. And so knowing that that is still alive, it's just awesome."
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