Terri and Robert Irwin beamed on Sunday night as they attended the Steve Irwin Gala in Las Vegas – but there was a very noticeable family absence.
While Robert and Terri Irwin proudly led the family charge at the exclusive event, fans were asking where Bindi Irwin and her husband Chandler Powell were.
The annual event, held in honour of the late Wildlife Warrior Steve Irwin, is typically a full family affair, with Bindi attending alongside her mother and brother in previous years.
But this time around, Bindi was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, Robert and Terri took centre stage, posing for photos and greeting guests alongside Robert’s Dancing with the Stars partner Witney Carson and Australian TV presenter Rove McManus.
Robert, 22, looked dashing in a tailored suit as he continues to ride a wave of global attention following his victory on last year’s Dancing with the Stars US.
Terri and Robert Irwin beamed on Sunday night as they attended the annual Steve Irwin Gala in Las Vegas – with a very noticeable family absence, Bindi Irwin
Instead, Robert and Terri took centre stage, posing for photos and greeting guests alongside Robert’s Dancing with the Stars partner Witney Carson (irght)
Terri confirmed her daughter didn’t attend the annual bash because she still finds travelling challenging amid her endometriosis battle.
She said Bindi was back at home Down Under looking after the family’s Australia Zoo.
‘Bindi is doing so much better now,’ Terri told E! News.
‘So, things like a lot of travel are a bit challenging for her at the moment and she’ll be here next year to celebrate this wonderful night.’
‘This year she’s just staying a little close to home. So, ironically, it’s less taxing for her to be home feeding crocodiles.’
‘You gotta remember [in] Australia Zoo there’s 500 in our team,” Robert added.
‘There’s about 500,000 acres of conservation land that we have. Someone’s got to hold down the fort. So, Bindi’s doing a great job at that.’
Bindi was also forced to skip the gala last year after undergoing an emergency appendectomy just hours before touching down in Vegas for the event.
While Robert and Terri Irwin proudly led the family charge at the exclusive event, fans were asking where Bindi and her husband Chandler Powell were. (Pictured with Australian model Ellie Gonsalves)
Terri confirmed her daughter didn’t attend the annual bash because she still finds travelling challenging amid her endometriosis battle
Bindi and Terri both missed the charity event as a result of the health emergency.
At the time, Robert explained that Bindi had been suffering some pain in the lead-up to the gala but had tried to soldier on.
‘She’s going to be okay, but surgery – out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them,’ he said.
‘She came to Las Vegas and was ready to put on a brave face. She said, “I’m just going to tough it out.”
‘But the surgeon told her, “Your appendix is going. It’s got to come out.”‘
Shortly after the news, Bindi posted a photo to social media showing her lying in a hospital bed with IV tubes in her nose and captioned it with a message of gratitude.
‘Thank you so much for your lovely messages. I wish I could reply to everyone,’ Bindi began.
She added she was very appreciative of the outpouring of public support as she focused on her recovery.
Robert posed on the carpet with a snake wrapped around his neck
‘Recovering. Tremendously grateful for your kindness,’ she wrote.
Taking to Instagram a few days later, Bindi shared another video from her hospital bed and revealed she is on the ‘road to recovery’.
She said while her appendix was removed, doctors discovered another 14 lesions from her endometriosis. These were also successfully removed.
She also had a large hernia repaired which had developed after giving birth to daughter Grace, four, in 2021.
‘I am so thankful that I got the help I needed with Dr Seckin and Dr Chu at Lenox Hill Hospital. After many months of a grumbly appendix, I finally had to seek help the day of our Steve Irwin Gala,’ she captioned her post.
‘After consulting with Dr. Seckin, we agreed that if I flew to New York, he could also check for endometriosis again. Surgery was a success.
‘My appendix was removed, along with another 14 lesions (after having 37 endometriosis lesions and a cyst removed two years ago). I also had a repair to a large hernia I acquired through childbirth four years ago.’
It features a three-course meal and is an annual celebration of Steve’s life and legacy.
Funds raised from the gala support Wildlife Warriors, the conservation charity Steve and Terri founded in 2002.
The event has become a cornerstone of the Irwin family’s ongoing mission to champion animal welfare and environmental protection.
