INTOUCHWEEKLY.COM 33
SHEÕS GROWN UP
BEFORE OUR EYES
2000: FIRST
APPEARS
ON TV
Bindi was just
a toddler when
she made her
first appearance
on one of her
dad’s TV shows,
The Crocodile
Hunter Diaries,
in 2000.
2013: FINDS
TRUE LOVE
Chandler was
living in Florida
when he met
fellow teen Bindi
while visiting
Australia Zoo
with his parents
in 2013. They
were long-
distance until he
moved Down
Under in 2018.
F
or most people, turning 21
is already a big deal. But for
Bindi Irwin, the milestone
birthday came with an ex-
tra gift of joy. “July 24, 2019, I said
‘yes’ and ‘forever’ to the love of my
life,” the Australian conservation-
ist and Season 21 Dancing With the
Stars winner wrote on Instagram
alongside a photo slideshow of her-
self embracing longtime love Chan-
dler Powell, 22, and showing off
her stunning diamond engagement
ring. Chandler echoed Bindi’s hap-
piness on his own account: “Bee, I
love you more than anything in this
world and I always will,” he wrote.
“Happy birthday.”
After nearly six years of dating,
the young couple are thrilled to be
getting married. But Bindi’s en-
gagement is also in some ways bit-
tersweet. Nearly 13 years ago, her
beloved father, Crocodile Hunter
star Steve Irwin, tragically died at
44 after being stabbed by a stingray
barb off the coast of Australia, leav-
ing wife Terri, 55, and kids Bindi,
then 8, and Robert, then 2, heart-
broken — and determined to carry
on his legacy. Steve wasn’t alive to
witness Bindi and Chandler’s love
blossom, but “my mum said that
Dad would’ve loved him,” Bindi re-
cently told In Touch, “which was
Bindi Irwin is ready to wed the love of her life and
knows her late father is smiling down on her
really nice.” Terri echoed that senti-
ment, sharing on Twitter after the
betrothal, “I am so very happy, and
I know Steve would be, too.”
THE RIGHT MAN
Steve never worried about Bindi
whenever she helped him handle
wild animals — including croco-
diles. But when it came to the idea
of her dating, he was filled with fear.
“My dad used to always say, ‘You’re
not allowed to date until you’re over
40,’ ” she told In Touch a few years
ago. “ ‘And he has to swim across the
crocodile pond!’ ” Bindi might be a
younger bride than her dad imag-
ined, but Chandler would read-
ily take on any animal challenge for
her: He gave up his career as a pro-
fessional wakeboarder and moved
from Florida to Australia in early
2018 to work alongside her family at
Australia Zoo. “It is a dream come
true to be part of continuing such an
extraordinary legacy with the love
of my life,” Chandler gushed in May.
They fell for each other after a
chance meeting in 2013. “He came
to Australia for a [wakeboarding]
competition, and he happened to
come into Australia Zoo,” Bindi told
In Touch (she was holding a spiny
anteater when they met, the zoo
revealed on social media). Chan-
dler admitted he “immediately fell
head over heels for her kind and
thoughtful heart that radiates
so much light.” It’s only fitting
that the animal haven is where
he popped the question. “Propos-
ing in her very favorite place in
the zoo, surrounded by animals,
seemed like the perfect way to em-
bark on this incredible new chap-
ter in our lives,” he later shared.
Bindi can’t wait to walk down
the aisle. “I’m so looking for-
warding to spending our forever
togetheras yourwife,”shegushed
onherbirthday.“Here’stoalife-
time of friendship, purpose and
unconditional love.Now let’s get
marriedalready!” ◼
2006: HER
FATHER DIES
Bindi, 8, eulogized
her dad following
his 2006 death
from a stingray
stab to the heart.
“My daddy was
my hero,” she
said. “He was
working to change
the world.”
2015: WINS DWTS
Thoughlearningtodancecameas
“ahugechallenge,”a 17-year-old
Bi ndiwontheMirrorBalltrophywith
pr o partnerDerekHoughonDancing
With theStarsin 2015.
HER GUIDING LIGHT
“I try to make sure that
my dad’s legacy stays
alive,” says Bindi.
