Steve Irwin's son Robert says growing up without his dad was ‘incredibly, indescribably difficult’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The difficulties Robert Irwin faced as a child growing up without his father have come to light. Robert's father Steve Irwin died when he was just three years old.

This week, in an interview with 'GQ Magazine', 20-year-old Robert characterized the experience as "indescribable" and "incredibly difficult".

Robert found it 'difficult' growing up without a father

Robert said, "When you lose someone like that, and it's such a public thing – you're three years old, you're growing up without a father – it's incredibly difficult. It is indescribably difficult," as reported by DailyMail.

Additionally, Robert acknowledged that he was uneasy with his celebrity status, calling it a "weird" feeling and claiming that it "doesn't make sense" why so many people are interested in his life. Despite the difficulties, Robert connects with his father and finds comfort in the stories that others tell him.

Robert is forging his own route

Robert feels as though he gets a tiny bit of his father back when people come up to him to tell him about their interactions with Steve, or to say how much his documentaries mean to them.

Robert acknowledged, "He's not around anymore to push his message. Now it's my job." 

While filming a documentary on the Queensland Batt Reef, Steve was unfortunately punctured in the chest by a stingray barb in September 2006.

Every moment Robert got to spend with his father, he recalled, "was a blessing". These days, Robert is forging his own route in the field of animal advocacy and conservation.

Robert Irwin has an impressive 11M online followers

Robert Irwin has amassed an impressive 11 million followers across TikTok and Instagram. His genuine personality and enthusiasm for animals have won over viewers on the platform, as reported by GQ.

On TikTok, a recent video in which he saved a carpet python from a vending machine received 16 million views. A total of 13 million people saw another video of him crying as he introduced the first Irwin's turtle ever hatched in a zoological park—a species named for his father, who made the discovery.

Robert, while describing his natural presence, said, "The camera is just another person. It’s a person you have a conversation with.”