Bindi Irwin Reveals The Truth Behind Her Fractured Relationship With Her Grandfather
The following article contains mentions of emotional abuse.
Family ties are strong in the Irwin family — Bindi, her mom Terri, brother Robert, and husband Chandler Powell all work at their Australia Zoo together.
Bindi still takes time to remember her late father Steve Irwin, especially on her parents' wedding anniversary. She took to Twitter on June 3 and wrote, "Soulmates. Happy Anniversary to my sweetheart parents. Your love is the stuff of miracles." In April, Bindi opened up to ET Online about how difficult it will be without her father in her daughter Grace's life: "It's hard knowing that she'll never get to actually meet him and it's devastating because I'll never get to watch their connection. But, I cannot wait to be able to tell beautiful Grace all of these stories about Dad, to be able to share with her what an amazing father he was."
But there's one person in the family who Bindi does not seem to care for. Keep reading for more details about her strained relationship with her paternal grandfather.
Bindi Irwin drops a bombshell about her grandfather
Bindi Irwin penned a touching Father's Day post on Facebook on June 20, honoring her late father Steve Irwin, as well as her husband Chandler Powell and his own father.
Although she referred to them as the "three most incredible fathers in my life," fans noticed she left out her paternal grandfather, Bob Irwin (the founder of the wildlife park that became Australia Zoo). Bindi lit into him in the comments on her post (via 7News) and wrote, "Unfortunately my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family. Publicly he continues to claim that he wants to spend time with us while privately my entire life has been psychological abuse from him."
She continued, "He has returned gifts I've sent him after he opened them, he has ignored my correspondence and from the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me. He has never said a single kind word to me personally."
Bindi also revealed the family has been supporting him financially since 1992 and sends him money every week. According to Bindi, ber mom Terri writes and sends Christmas gifts with no response, and Bindi said, "it's not healthy to engage in an abusive relationship." "I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain," she added.
If you or someone you know is dealing with abuse, including emotional abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.