Bindi Irwin’s mom, Terri Irwin, provided a health update on her daughter after she failed to attend the 2026 Steve Irwin Gala.
During a red carpet interview with E! News at the Saturday, May 2, event inside at Las Vegas’ Bellagio, Terri, 61, spoke about Bindi’s ongoing battle with endometriosis — and why it prevented her from attending alongside her and brother Robert Irwin.
“Bindi is doing so much better now,” Terri told the outlet while standing alongside Robert, 22, at the 3rd annual Steve Irwin Gala that celebrated her late husband’s conservation achievements. “Things like a lot of travel are a bit challenging for her at the moment and so she’ll be here next year to celebrate this wonderful night.” (Steve Irwin died in September 2006 after a fatal snorkelling interaction with a short-tail stingray in Queensland, Australia. He was 44 years old.)
Terri, who was married to Steve for 14 years, added that Bindi, 27, was at Saturday’s event “in spirit” along with her husband Chandler Powell and the couple’s daughter Grace, 5. “This year she’s just staying a little close to home,” Terri told the outlet. “So, ironically, it’s less taxing for her to be home feeding crocodiles.”
Bindi Irwin Misses Late Father Steve Irwin’s Gala Due to Surgery
In May 2025, Bindi opened up to Us Weekly about her ongoing struggles with endometriosis, which is described by Mayo Clinic as “an often-painful condition in which tissue that is similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.”
Speaking to Us just one day prior to emergency surgery as a result of a ruptured appendix, and the day before the 2025 Steve Irwin Gala, Bindi said, “If you have good health you can do anything, but when you’re feeling unwell it’s impossible to function in life.” (Bindi was forced to skip the 2025 event as a result of her health struggles, too.)
Later that month, Bindi shared a progress report with fans via Instagram. “Healing,” she captioned a carousel of photos that showed the Dancing With the Stars season 21 champion recovering in the hospital. “Thank you for your incredible words of support and kindness. The reason I share my health journey is because more girls and women desperately need answers to their undiagnosed pain.”
Bindi Irwin Says She Was ‘in So Much Pain’ During ‘Invisible’ Health Struggle
More recently, Bindi reflected on her endometriosis journey via a lengthy post that urged other sufferers to seek increased support during March’s Endometriosis Australia Awareness Month. “In the last three years, I’ve had over 50 endometriosis lesions cut out of my body. A chocolate cyst that was adhering my ovary to my side was removed. An appendectomy and a hernia repair. I’ve felt indescribable, inescapable pain,” Bindi candidly shared via Instagram on March 31. “Trying to keep my invisible illness to myself after being told by doctors it was just “part of being a woman.” I spent 10 years being undiagnosed.”
Bindi’s post concluded, “No one deserves to suffer in silence. For more information I turned to @seckinmd and @endofound. If you’re in pain, my heart breaks for you. I believe you. Please find answers. And don’t give up on yourself. I know how hard that can be.”
