Bindi Irwin Pays Tribute To Her Dad On Dancing With The Stars

Published on September 15, 2015.

Source: ABC

Dancing With the Stars started its 21st season on Monday, September 14 and, as always, there was a lot of big and emotional moments, especially from 17-year-old Bindi Irwin.

Irwin is the daughter of the late, and very famous, Australian wildlife expert Steve Irwin and she has already followed in her father’s footsteps by becoming a wildlife conservationist herself. Before the big night E! News spoke to Irwin and her partner Derek Hough about how the memory of her father is influencing her time on the show, and her response was heartbreaking.

“I think for me, Dad will always be my superhero,” she tells us in the video above. “You know, everything I do in life is to make him proud and to carry on his legacy, and so I really am dedicating this entire — however long I’m able to make it — to him, to my family, to other people who are in a similar position. You know, after you lose a person like that, you feel like the sun will never shine again, but it will, and it may not shine as brightly, but you have to find that light in everything that you do. I feel like this experience, getting to work with Derek and the beautiful people on this show, has really been such a bright place for me, and I’m excited to focus all of my energy on doing the best job possible.”

Hough was very supportive of his young dance partner, adding he loves her family as her little brother and mother were both in attendance and stating that Bindi is already making huge strides. “Honestly, from day one to now, people wouldn’t even believe how far she’s come. The transformation is miraculous, literally. We’ve got her in little training heels right now.”