The theme for the evening was “most memorable year,” and no year was more memorable to Bindi Irwin than 2006 when she lost her father “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin.
17-year-old Bindi gave tribute to her father with a tear-jerking dance, alongside partner Derek Hough on Dancing With the Stars.
She poured 9 years of pain out on the dance floor, and it earned her the first perfect 10 of the season.
Bindi says: “You know, it’s been nine years, and I never really dwelled on that point — when he did pass away,” she explained of the event she says “shaped” her most. “I think that I’m kind of ready to tell that story.”
And it was an emotional story.
“I can remember being little and thinking, ‘The one thing I want to do is be just like dad when I grow up,” she recalled. “And I still feel like that.”
In Steve’s honor, Bindi danced to a contemporary routine set to the song “Every Breath You Take.” She broke down several times during rehearsals preparing for it, but during her live performance she shed her tears at the end of the moving tribute.
The audience, however, couldn’t help but shed tears throughout the entire dance, as many felt like they knew Steve from being the world’s most beloved “Crocodile Hunter.”
“I wish he could fully understand how much he’s done for me,” Bindi said of her dad. “And that I miss him.”
Watch Bindi’s emotional tribute to her father:
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[Featured Image Credit: TODAY- Dancing with the Stars / YouTube]