Bindi Irwin Admits She Still Cries Over Footage of Late Father, ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin

Bindi Irwin still feels the loss of her father Steve Irwin nearly 13 years after his passing. The 20-year-old opened up about experiencing an overwhelming burst of emotion after watching old footage of the television personality.

“It was just an ordinary day and we were playing the video where we petition against harvesting of crocodile eggs,” she said in an interview with Stellar magazine. “There’s old footage of dad with the crocodiles and, even though I’ve seen the video maybe 50 times, that day I started crying.”

Bindi continued, “Some days you feel the grief more than others. What gets to me are those moments when I’d love him to be here to share what we’re doing.”

She noted she feels that way given hers and her brother, Robert Irwin’s young ages at the time of their fathers passing. Robert was 2 years old and she was 8 at the time of Steve’s death.

“It could be when my brother is receiving an accolade for his photography, or it might be at the end of the day when we’re having dinner and laughing. I’ll think: ‘I wish Dad was here for this.’ But he’s just not there,” she added.

Steve gained prominence hosting the wildlife documentary television show, The Crocodile Hunter. He passed away while working on an underwater film titled Ocean’s Deadliest when he was attacked by a stingray on Sept. 4, 2006. He was 44 years old.

Bindi and the Irwin family committed to keep her father’s legacy alive, and told the magazine: “I care about the planet and my destiny is to make a difference.”

“We’re doing it our own way, but you can feel dad’s spirit in everything we do. I’ve found such comfort in being able to follow in his footsteps,” she said.

“I’m living the dream!” she said. “How many young people start their day watching a giraffe being born and end the day bottle-feeding a joey kangaroo? I don’t know how I’d cope if I was living in suburbia with a goldfish.”

Bindi has been open frequently about losing her father at such a young age. Back in December, she told PEOPLE she felt she had lost “a part of [my] heart.”

“I remember people coming up to me and saying, ‘I’m sorry for your loss, sweetheart. Time heals all wounds,’” she said at the time. “But that’s just not true. It’s like losing a part of your heart, and when you’ve lost that, you never get it back.”

The family currently stars in the Animal Planet series Crikey! It’s the Irwins, which follows their life and jobs at the Australia Zoo, which they are working to expand.