Celebrity Couples
How Long Were Steve & Terri Irwin Together? A Look Back at Their Marriage
Ever since Steve Irwin‘s death on September 4, 2006, his wife, Terri Irwin, and their children, Bindi Irwin and Robert Irwin, have been helping his legacy live on. The “Crocodile Hunter” was killed after being pierced by a stingray off the coast of Australia, leaving behind two young kids and the love of his life.
The Irwin family is back in the spotlight amid Robert’s run on Dancing With the Stars Season 34, the same show his older sister won in 2015. Scroll down for a refresh on Steve and Terri’s relationship ahead of this week’s episode.
How long were Steve and Terri Irwin together?
The Irwins were together for 15 years at the time of his death. They met in 1991, and he died in 2006.
Terri and Steve did not waste much time before tying the knot after they met. They wed in June 1992, then welcomed Bindi in July 1998 and Robert in December 2003.
How did Steve and Terri Irwin meet?
Steve and Terri met while she was visiting his parents’ zoo in Beerwah, Queensland, which is where Steve was working at the time. She was from Oregon and had started a wildlife rehabilitation facility a few years earlier. Terri also worked as a veterinary technician.
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She stopped by the Irwin family zoo by chance. “Driving by there was this little tiny sign and this little tiny zoo, and I thought, ‘I’ll just go in to check it out,'” Terri once recalled on an episode of The Crocodile Hunter. She remembered being intrigued while hearing Steve talk about his crocodile demonstration. Once she saw what was happening, she was “sold.”
“I thought, ‘This man is the most incredible guy I have ever seen. He’s probably married. He’s gotta be taken,'” Terri shared. From his point of view, Steve recalled seeing his future wife in the crowd and making eye contact. “My heart just went, ‘Bang, bang, bang,'” he admitted. Terri stuck around after the demonstration, and the rest is history.
Did Terri Irwin ever remarry?
No, Terri has said that she has no plans to remarry because Steve was the great love of her life.
“I totally got my happily ever after,” she told Us Weekly in 2024. “And while there are a lot of wonderful men in the world, can you see another Steve Irwin? I just can’t. I’d be like, ‘I love that you’re a librarian and the Dewey Decimal System is cool, but I got to go jump a crocodile and do that.’ Forget that.”
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She also added, “I had the best marriage in the whole world for 14 years, and I’m very comfortable with the person I see in the mirror. So I’m OK to be on my own now. And I’m lonely for Steve, but I’m not a lonely person, so I’m very lucky.”
Over the years, there have been rumors that Terri was in a relationship with Russell Crowe, but she has consistently insisted that they are just friends. “I am in love with Russell Crowe desperately, but we all are,” she joked. “We’ve been friends for decades, and he’s just the most wonderful human being. Makes me laugh. But no, he’s got a delightful [partner], Brittany [Theriot], and is doing amazing things.”
Dancing With the Stars, Season 34, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC and Disney+ (Streaming Next Day on Hulu)
For a more extended celebration of two decades of Dancing With the Stars, from exclusive interviews to retrospectives and must-see photos, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Dancing With the Stars 20th Anniversary special issue, available for purchase online at DWTS.TVGM2025.com and on newsstands now.
