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Reality star and conservationist Bindi Irwin recently announced her engagement to boyfriend Chandler Powell. With her Animal Planet series Crikey! It’s the Irwins now in its second season, the 21-year-old is continually building her fan base with the work she and her family are accomplishing at the Australian Zoo.

Irwin is a previous champion of Dancing With The Stars, taking home the coveted Mirror Ball trophy in 2015. The winning turn on the dance floor brought the conservationist a nice profit, adding to her impressive net worth.

Animal Planet’s Bindi Irwin | Rich Fury/Getty Images

Woman on a mission

The Animal Planet star is taking on the mission of her late father, famous crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, who was tragically killed by a stingray in 2006. “I care about the planet and my destiny is to make a difference,” she told Stellar in July. “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.”

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

Role model

The 21-year-old has become a heroine to younger generations by working toward such a universal cause. Irwin sees her role as an opportunity to motivate others to pursue goals that are traditionally considered to apply only to men.

“As I get older I’m more and more passionate about inspiring young women to stand up in roles which were traditionally more male dominated — such as working with reptiles,” she told Stellar. “It can be kinda scary standing up for what you believe in, especially with social media because the world is extremely critical, but we have to find the strength to stay true to what we believe in and forge ahead.”

Irwin has her own role model – her mom Terri. “My mum is Wonder Woman,” she said of her mother, comparing her to a famous female heroine in film. “She’s like Sarah Connor in The Terminator. As I’ve grown older, I’ve been given this gift of perspective where I’ve been able to see how much she’s done and I want to be there to back her up in any way I can.”

The reality star aspires to the example of a strong woman that her mom has set. “I would love to have even half the amount of strength she has,” Irwin said. “She has the ability to be everyone’s mum, but also an extraordinary leader. We’re so close and she’s also my best friend.”

Impressive list of credits

In addition to her DWTS win and current Animal Planet series, Irwin has hosted shows for Discover Kids, a gameshow entitled Bindi’s Bootcamp, produced a hip hop album, and starred in the 2010 film Free Willy: Escape from Pirate’s Cove.

In 2008, Irwin made history when she became the youngest person to have won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series for Bindi: The Jungle Girl.

After some contract negotiations, Business Insider reported that Irwin received $360,000 in wages from both competing and winning Dancing With the Stars. That sum helped bring her net worth to $3 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Watch Crikey! It’s the Irwins on Animal Planet!

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