In 2006, wildlife conservationist Terri Irwin lost her husband, “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, in a tragic accident.
The 44-year-old television star and loving father was killed when a stingray barb entered his heart, while he was filming an episode of “Ocean’s Deadliest.”
In a new interview with People, Terri now admits that she was not only heartbroken to lose the love of her life — but scared to be a single mother.
The 54-year-old, who currently runs the Australia Zoo, said she made it through the loss with the help of her loved ones. She said:
“It’s just surrounding yourself with great family and friends and people who will support you. I really miss Steve but, but I’m not a lonely person.”
However, she knew raising two children on her own wouldn’t be easy on top of running a zoo.
Terri said that she used the strength of her husband’s memory to help her pull through. The mother of two told People:
“It was a little bit terrifying to have to step up and take the till. But I thought about it and saidLet’s carry on as if Steve was still here.’”
Despite Terri’s fears, the children have grown up to be successful wildlife conservationists themselves. Bindi, 20, and Robert, 15, now help their mom run the Australia Zoo.
But the loss has had a lasting impact on them too.
As Dearly previously reported, Bindi said she’s never fully been able to get over the loss of her father. She was just eight years old when he passed. Bindi said:
“I remember people coming up to me and sayingI’m sorry for your loss, sweetheart. Time heals all wounds.’ 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.”
Thankfully, the family still has each other. They now star in their own show on Animal Planet, “Crikey! It’s the Irwins!”