Inside Terri Irwin’s Curious Friendship With Actor Russell Crowe
Terri Irwin, star of Animal Planet’s Crikey! It’s the Irwins, has been focused on her grown kids, Bindi and Robert, as she helps them pass on the family legacy of wildlife preservation in Australia. The Irwins work to rehabilitate wildlife and are famous for handling dangerous creatures like crocodiles, poisonous snakes, and some of the deadliest animals on Earth.
Yet much has been made of Terri Irwin’s personal life. At 58 years old, she’s been linked to around 25 dating partners since 2007 when she walked the red carpet with Russell Crowe, who was a good friend to her late husband Steve Irwin, aka The Crocodile Hunter, before his tragic death in 2006.
How did Terri Irwin meet the love of her life, Steve Irwin?
Terri Irwin grew up in Eugene, Oregon, where she ran a family construction business until she opened a wildlife rehabilitation center in 1986. She focused on rehabbing predatory mammal species such as mountain lions and coyotes. On a trip to Australia’s Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, now known as Australia Zoo, in 1991, she saw Steve performing one of his crocodile feedings.
It was love at first sight. The couple married a year later in 1992, started The Crocodile Hunter show on their honeymoon when they captured and relocated a croc, and became world-famous for their wildlife conservation efforts.
Tragedy struck on September 4, 2006. Steve was filming a documentary called Ocean’s Deadliest along the Great Barrier Reef. He accidentally spooked a bull stingray in shallow water where it was hiding under the sand. Its barbed tail pierced Steve’s heart. Despite resuscitation efforts, he died an hour after the fatal injury.
Terri Irwin and her two children carry on Steve’s legacy to this day with their conservation efforts.
How did Russell Crowe come to know Terri Irwin?
Crowe, an Aussie himself, was close friends with Steve Irwin and helped the naturalist by raising awareness to wildlife preservation through Steve’s organization.
In delivering a tribute to his memorial service two weeks after Irwin’s death, reports The Guardian, Crowe had this to say of his dear friend: “Your passing has suspended reality for us. It was way too soon and completely unfair on all accounts.”
A year later, Crowe held hands with Terri Irwin at Australia Week in LA. In 2013, Bindi Irwin attended the Australian premiere of Man of Steel with Russell Crowe and two of the A-lister’s sons, according to E Online.
Is the Irwin matriarch dating the A-list Hollywood actor?
In 2020, rumors swirled about a romance between Terri Irwin and Crowe. The Courier Mail states Crowe was one of the first people to reach out to Terri after her husband’s death.
Both people have denied they’re in a relationship. In 2022, Crowe has been linked to 30-year-old Britney Theriot, a real estate agent from New Orleans.
Terri Irwin had this to say about the celebrity relationship, according to The Daily Mail: “I’ve stopped counting all the men I am supposed to have had flings with… the more recent one is John Travolta, which is new to the mix.”
Steve Irwin was the love of Terri’s life
Fifteen years after Steve’s tragic passing, Terri Irwin opened up about her love for Steve to People. “I had a big, big love and it was enough to last a lifetime. Steve was it for me.”
Steve’s family continues to honor his legacy. Every November 15, the world celebrates Steve Irwin Day. When Bindi Irwin, Steve’s daughter, announced her pregnancy, Terri said she wished Steve would be able to share in the beautiful family moment.
Terri continues to be busy. She helps her kids build on their conservation efforts and their family lives. When mom Terri gave Bindi some marriage advice, the matriarch compared her life with Steve to that of a comfortable pair of shoes. You can always rely on them.
Bindi even imagines what her father would have done with Grace Wisdom, her young daughter, as a baby. He would have just whisked her away to a zoo, just like he did for his own kids, to show Grace the majesty of our planet.
Everything is bigger in Australia: the sharks, the snakes, the crocs. And so are the personalities, none bigger than Steve Irwin. Even bigger than his personality was his love. His love of family, wildlife, nature, and humanity. Happily, his legacy is secure.
