Robert Irwin and Witney Carson are gearing up for dedication week on “Dancing with the Stars” season 34, and you might want to get your tissues ready.
The wildlife conservationists revealed he will be paying tribute to his mom, Terri Irwin, and has something “really cool planned” for the special dance routine.
“It’ll be dedicated to her, to someone who is just always there for me,” he confirmed to our entertainment reporter Courtney Tezeno backstage during Disney night on the show. “The person who I just look up to so much, and who [has] shaped who I am today. And I’m very, very grateful for my mom, and I’m very grateful that we’re going to be honoring her and the legacy that she has created.”
Last week, Robert teased to us exclusively that he might give Mama Terri her flowers on the ballroom floor. Many fans online were suggesting songs for him to do that would pay tribute to his late father, Steve Irwin, aka “the Crocodile Hunter,” who died in 2006.
“I see my mom as my biggest inspiration, and someone who has been there for myself and my sister through thick and thin,” Robert told Tezeno in week 3. “Her incredible grace, passion, and determination to keep my dad’s legacy alive is beyond admirable, but also to be there as such an incredible mum, an incredible business leader, she’s everything I would ever want to be in a person.”
“Yeah, everything I do here is to really continue a legacy that her and my dad started,” he concluded.
During Disney night, Robert danced to a “Zootopia” inspired Cha-cha and announced his debut into the Disney family as the koala named Robert Furwin in the upcoming “Zootopia 2” film.
“I can’t believe I’m in a Disney movie,” he said. “This is insane, like, little baby Robert dreamed of this, and I can’t believe it’s a reality. And it was so fun that we got to kind of just bring that ‘Zootopia’ vibe into the ballroom.”
Watch “Dancing with the Stars” Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu.