Robert Irwin on Sister Bindi’s Medical Emergency Before Steve Irwin Gala (Exclusive)

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“Extra” chatted with Robert Irwin at the Steve Irwin Gala in Las Vegas.He spoke about the breaking news that his sister Bindi had to miss the gala due to an emergency appendix surgery.“My mom and my sister are currently on appendix duty, which is not something that we thought was going to happen,” he said. “So, my sister has had a grumbling appendix for a while… and when the surgeons and doctors say, ‘Look, we know you’ve been really brave. You’ve come all the way here to Las Vegas, we know you’ve got the gala, but you’ve got to get it taken out,’ you’ve got to take it seriously.”He went on, “So, she’s getting that surgery done. I’m on the phone with her constantly making sure she’s all good… I’m feeling for Bindi, and I’m sure she’ll come out this the other side strong as ever.”

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Robert reflected on the organization his family built, saying, “It’s about honoring the legacy that my dad created alongside my mom. A lot of people saw dad as this larger than life, you know, 110%, just, passion enthusiasm guy, the guy jumping on crocodiles down in Australia. But he had a lot more behind the scenes happening. He was 100% dedicated to conservation, to science. He was an incredibly intelligent person, and he dedicated everything to really making the world a better place, and tonight it’s about making sure that spirit, that legacy continues.”Irwin said he definitely felt his dad’s presence at the gala. “There’s a few times in life when I really feel it,” he said. “When someone shares a story of dad, when I see a piece of footage from when I was little growing up around him and when I’m at an event like this, where there’s a room full of people that were inspired by him and that are here to honor what he was about. I feel so close to him, so close to his legacy, and it’s the honor of a lifetime to keep that legacy alive.”He also reacted to his steamy BONDS underwear campaign breaking the Internet!“That whole thing has become, like, this new way to get the message out there,” he said with a laugh. “I never in my wildest dreams thought that modeling the underpants would end up reaching a whole new audience to hear my conservation message, but you know what? I will take it!”Looking back, he explained the original pitch from BONDS, saying, “They said, ‘We want to create something that is going to celebrate Australian wildlife and your legacy with conservation, but, you know, it’s going to be a little bit edgy.’”

He wasn’t sure at first, sharing, “When they said, ‘You’ll have a snake draped around your shoulders, you’ll have a tarantula on your leg,’ I went, ‘Okay, that makes me feel a little better. It makes me feel like I’m in my element a little bit more.’”Plus, he talked about signing on for “Dancing with the Stars” after Bindi took home the Mirrorball Trophy.Robert revealed, “I’ve been thinking about it for 10 years. Literally, since Bindi did it.”He recalled being a “little bloke” at 11 years old thinking, “One day, that’s going to be me.”Irwin confirmed his shirt will be coming off once he hits the dance floor.“You heard it here first. Yes, I don’t think that shirt’s lasting long,” he said. “You got to have mobility. You can’t let it get in the way. But I do also want to see how ‘Dancing with the Stars’ can incorporate khaki… I need a piece of Australia Zoo, a piece of Irwin-ness in there.”