Terri Irwin Isn’t Afraid of Her Son Swimming in the Sea Even After Her Husband Steve Was Killed By a Stingray

Even though Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray barb on September 6, 2006, his wife, Terri Irwin, does not feel fear when her son, Robert, goes swimming with sea creatures, as she has another worry on her mind.

Speaking with The Australian Women’s Weekly on Thursday, January 24, the 54-year-old revealed that she’s actually “more worried” about her 15-year-old son “drowning than encountering a shark or a manta ray in the water.” Steve, a hugely popular conservationist and zookeeper, crossed paths with a stingray who ended up piercing his heart. He was only 44-years-old. And while Terri is all about allowing Robert the freedom to explore and find adventure, she did confess that she finds herself being overprotective of him and her 20-year-old daughter, Bindi Irwin.

“When you lose someone who is the strongest member of your family, you think that those who are still here must be more vulnerable in some way, that you have to be extra careful,” she told the outlet, adding, “I spend a lot of time looking after myself, I run and exercise, because I don’t want to leave my kids.” And that’s quite a statement from the naturalist and owner of the Australia Zoo in Beerwah, Queensland,  especially since she once revealed that she and her husband considered not having children.

“When we got married, Steve said, ‘I’m just an action man. I don’t know how we would ever have kids.’ And I didn’t feel strongly one way or another,” Terri recalled an interview with People. She continued, “But after almost six years of marriage, he burst through the door one evening and said, ‘We’ve got to have children! Who do we leave all this to? Who will carry it on?’ I go, ‘Just because you have kids doesn’t mean they’re going to want to do what you do.’ And he said, ‘Oh, they will. They definitely will.’”

While Steve is now gone, his legacy continues, as his family now star on the Animal Planet show titled Crikey! It’s the Irwins.