It was an emotional night in the Dancing With the Stars ballroom as Robert Irwin was brought to tears with his Dedication Night dance for his mom, Terri Irwin.
The conservationist took to the dance floor Tuesday with an emotional contemporary routine to Phil Collins’ “You’ll Be in My Heart,” alongside pro partner Witney Carson, which featured a brief cameo from Terri.
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Prior to Robert’s performance, he revealed he had chosen to dedicate his dance to his mom because of the strength she had shown following the death of Robert’s father, Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin, in 2006.
“I’ve never been able to capture the feeling of gratitude I feel for her,” he said through tears, adding, “At every milestone, when I just wish, when I just wish that my dad was there, she was she was there, and that was enough.”
“I struggle a lot with losing dad a lot,” Robert explained. “She always made sure my dad was present in our lives. I wanted to know how proud my dad would be of her.”
Terri shared that it was Robert and his older sister, Bindi Irwin, who gave her the strength to move on after the death of her husband. “After we lost Steve, it was difficult to smile again, for quite a while,” she said. “So for him to say, ‘You lifted me up,’ honestly, it was the opposite. Because of them, I could get up every morning, so every day I’m a proud mama.”
Robert and Carson’s dance earned them a 35 out of 40 from the judges, but it was the kind critiques the pair received that left Robert visibly emotional. “[Your father is] looking at you, kid, and he’s smiling. You gave us all of your heart and soul. All I can say is this was the true expression of everlasting love,” Bruno Tonioli said through tears.
Derek Hough, who previously took home the Mirrorball Trophy with Bindi, was also moved by the dance, saying, “The love I have for you family. I just have so much love you guys. I’m so proud of you. I really am. You’ve become such an amazing man, and the world needs the Irwin family.”
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