On Sunday (June 20), families all around the world celebrated Father’s Day. Bindi Irwin celebrated the day with a social media post paying tribute to the three “most incredible fathers” in her life: her own father, the late Steve Irwin, her husband, Chandler, and her father-in-law, Chris.
“My dad taught me the importance of strength when standing up for what I believe in and to have empathy for all living beings,” she wrote. “My husband amazes me every day with his kind and steadfast heart, his love for our daughter is infinite. My father-in-law works tirelessly for his family and is always there with a word of encouragement. These extraordinary men inspire me and I love them so very much.”
While she has comments on her Instagram turned off, people can still comment on her Facebook post, which is where a user asked her why she didn’t pay tribute to her paternal grandfather, Bob Irwin, who founded the Australia Zoo.
The user wrote, “What about your grandfather you know your fathers, father!!! He to was a good man, who I assume got the shaft.”
Bindi doesn’t often respond to her comments, but apparently she didn’t like being accused of giving anyone “the shaft.”
“Thank you very much for your comment,” Bindi said. “I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace. Unfortunately my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family. It breaks my heart but it is not healthy to engage in an abusive relationship.”
She revealed that her mother, Terri, sends him birthday and Christmas gifts, but they are either opened and then returned or they do not hear back from him. Bindi added that Bob publicly does interviews and says he wants to be part of their lives but his actions prove otherwise.
Bindi also explained that they support him financially ever since he left the Australia Zoo in 1992 and send him funds every week. They even built him a home on a beautiful property to ensure his well-being.
She concluded her now-deleted comment by saying, “I want Bob’s happiness in life but I cannot be victim to his mental abuse anymore. I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health. I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain. I have to choose to care for my own mental health now.”
We’re sad to hear about this difficult relationship, especially as Bindi is already struggling navigating motherhood without her father around.
“It’s hard knowing that she’ll never get to actually meet [my dad], and it’s devastating because I’ll never get to watch that connection,” Bindi has said.. “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.”