Bindi Irwin Honors Late Dad Steve on Father’s Day: ‘I’m Incredibly Blessed to Be Your Daughter’

On Father’s Day, Bindi Irwin honored her late dad, Steve Irwin, in the sweetest way possible! She took to Instagram to share a throwback pic with him and she also thanked him for teaching her how to be courageous.

“Thank you for always teaching me to stand up for what I believe in. I’m incredibly blessed to be your daughter and I love you so much. ❤️,” Bindi, 20, wrote on Sunday, June 16. The post quickly racked up more than 250,000 likes online and the Aussie beauty’s followers didn’t hesitate to share their feelings about the Crocodile Hunter star.

“I think Steve was a father to all of us at one point, what a legend and may he rest peacefully,” one fans responded. Another said, “Your dad was a role model to all of us, I know for a fact that the reason a lot of us care about the planet and animals is because of your dad.” A third added, “He’d be proud to see how far you’ve come! We love ya’ll [sic] so much, and you’re carrying on his legacy well. 😍😍”

In 2006, Bindi and her brother, Robert, 15, lost their father when Steve was filming his documentary series Ocean’s Deadliest and got stabbed in the heart by a short-tail stingray. In a recent interview with People, Bindi recalled what it was like to lose him when she was only 8 years old.

“I remember people coming up to me and saying, ‘I’m sorry for your loss, sweetheart. Time heals all wounds,’” the Dancing With the Stars alum recalled. “But that’s just not true. It’s like losing a part of your heart, and when you’ve lost that, you never get it back.”

Even though Bindi had to learn how to grow up without her dad around, she still had mom Terri Irwin teach her everything she knew about being successful.

“I sure hope dad would be proud,” Bindi said about Steve’s reaction to their Animal Planet series Crikey! It’s the Irwins. “We really do try every day to make him proud and follow in his footsteps. I hope that somewhere he’s out there going, ‘Yes! You did good!’”

We’re sure he is, Bindi!