Bindi Irwin missed the annual Steve Irwin Gala this year, and her brother Robert Irwin revealed it was because she was rushed to hospital.
The 21-year-old son of the late Crocodile Hunter explained that his sister was raced into emergency surgery after her appendix ruptured on May 10, the same day as the Gala in Las Vegas.
“She’s going to be OK, but surgery – out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them,” Robert told People.
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He explained that his mum Terri would also be missing the gala night, which honours Steve, to help Bindi with her recovery.
“She’s just come out the other side of endometriosis and now the appendix goes,” he added. Robert stressed that health is so important to their family, and Bindi originally just tried to push through the pain.
“She came to Las Vegas and was ready to come to the gala, put on a brave face in a lot of discomfort and a lot of pain and said, ‘Nope, I’m just going to tough it out, I’m going to go for it,’ ” Robert explained.
“But the surgeon said, ‘No, your appendix is going. That thing’s gotta come out.’ Health has to come first.”
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Robert said his sister was upset she wouldn’t be able to make the event, and “devastated” that their mum couldn’t be there either.
The trio were all in Las Vegas ahead of the event, with Bindi sharing some snaps of herself with Terri and Robert the day before on Instagram.
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“Khaki by day – Bellagio chic by night! ✨ Here in #LasVegas for the #SteveIrwinGala raising funds and awareness for Wildlife Warriors,” read the caption.
“Supporting conservation and remembering Dad’s extraordinary legacy. Enormous gratitude to everyone for your support as we continue to do all that we can to protect wildlife and wild places for the future generations.”
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While the Irwin family have a strong history of advocating for animals – big and small – Bindi has also become a strong voice for women’s’ health.
In March 2023 she shared that she had been diagnosed with endometriosis, and explained it had been 10 years of pain to get to this point.
Alongside a photo of herself in hospital, she said that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to discuss her health publicly, but felt a responsibility to share her story for other women.
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