Terri Irwin interview: Steve would be ‘shocked’ by reaction to his death | Richard Wilkins’ Apple and the Tree podcast
When Steve Irwin died 19 years ago, the news sent shockwaves around the globe as millions mourned the Aussie wildlife hero.
But no one in the world, Terri Irwin says, was more shocked than Steve would have been if he could have seen the way the world reeled in the wake of his death.
“I think when he died, he would have been the most shocked,” Terri said in conversation with Richard ‘Dickie’ Wilkins and his son Christian Wilkins on the latest episode of The Apple & The Tree podcast.
“I couldn’t figure out what was going on because the media interest [lasted] weeks and I [was] like, ‘What is happening?’
“I think he would have been the most mystified, because he never really thought of himself as a big deal.
“He never really big-noted himself.”
Steve was 44 when a short-tailed sting ray pierced him in the chest and ultimately took his life.
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The news of his death soon boomed from TV news bulletins and radio announcements, his face plastered on newspapers worldwide.
But it wasn’t just in his death that the wildlife conservationist captured attention.
LISTEN: Terri Irwin discusses the legacy of her late husband Steve Irwin.
Terri recalls she and Steve often found themselves among hordes of adoring fans, especially when they were in the United States.
She recalled one time when “there were like 300 people mobbing him in the grocery store” and another when the pair had been “driving down the streets of Manhattan” and people “started climbing on the limo” when they noticed that Steve was inside.
“The mounted police came in just to get us a path to move through,” Terri explained.
That “enthusiasm” was something that the pair simply couldn’t understand.
“Steve and I never really could get our heads around what was happening,” she says.
After his death, Steve and Terri’s kids, Robert and Bindi, went on to grow up under the watchful eye of a nation.
But no matter how big the media attention got, Terri says the family always found respite in the wilderness.
“We could escape any time [to the beach or the outback],” Terri says.
“We’d get out in the middle of nowhere. You know those places where you drive for two days and you don’t see another car,” she added.
It’s an upbringing that has helped the kids stay humble, despite the fame, Terri says.
“They are amazingly good kids. I’m so blessed because we are very close as a family,” she says.
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