SO. “Tears for a Legend”: Derek Hough COLLAPSES in Emotion After Robert Irwin’s Heartbreaking Dance Honoring His Late Father Steve, Leaving the Ballroom in Absolute Silence
Robert Irwin delivered an incredibly beautiful and moving routine on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 34 that left everyone in tears. For Dedication Night in Week 5, the wildlife conservationist chose to dedicate his performance to his mom, Terri Irwin.
When Irwin and Carson took to the stage, they danced to “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins. It was a testament to the brilliant woman Terri is and a celebration of her strength as she raised two children alone after the death of her husband, Steve Irwin. Steve passed away on September 4, 2006.
Irwin and Carson cried onstage in a moving moment and an exceptional display of talent. But they were not the only ones, as judge Derek Hough was also in tears while delivering his critiques. The couple scored 35 out of 40.
Hough expressed how proud he was of Robert and how much he cares about his family. Hough has a personal connection to the Irwins, too, having competed as a professional dancer alongside Robert’s older sister, Bindi Irwin, on DWTS Season 21. They won the Mirrorball Trophy, and it is looking like Robert might be following in his sister’s footsteps with his journey on the ABC dance competition.
Fans have reacted to Irwin’s dance with an outpouring of love, flooding the official “Dancing with the Stars” Instagram account after the performance. “In our hearts forever and always Robert and Witney delivered a beautiful Contemporary dedicated to his mom Terri #DedicationNight #DWTS,” the caption on the post reads.
“Everyone say thank you witney for another phenomenal contemporary and also thank you robert for existing ,” a fan wrote. “So anybody else completely bawled their eyeballs out? Omgggg,” another person shared.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience, and this is something Bindi had warned fans about ahead of time when she revealed that Robert’s dance was “profound.”
Ahead of Show Day on Tuesday, October 14, Bindi posted a sweet throwback photo of her family on Instagram. In the caption, she shared her thoughts and praised her brother for his incredible dance.
“Ready for a beautiful and emotional night @dancingwiththestars. Robert and Witney have the most profound contemporary dance, dedicated to Mum. Get your tissues ready. So proud of my family,” she wrote in the caption.
Fans flooded the post with loving messages. “Sobbed during your dedication week dance with derek 10 years ago… can’t wait to sob during robert’s,” a comment reads. “I think we’re all proud of your family,” another fan shared.
