They first met in 1991, when Terri stopped by a small reptile park in Australia where Steve had been working as a zookeeper at the time.
Terri Irwin is remembering her late husband on what would have been their 30th wedding anniversary. To mark the special day, the Australian conservationist and zoo owner shared a throwback snap of her and Steve Irwin, according to PEOPLE.
"I married this incredible bloke 30 years ago today," Terri, 57, wrote on Twitter on Friday. "What an adventure! Love and legacy live on."
The couple, who married in 1992, remained together until Steve Irwin died at the age of 44 in 2006 when he was struck by a stingray barb off the coast of northern Australia. They first met in 1991, when Terri stopped by a small reptile park in Australia where Steve had been working as a zookeeper at the time. They were together for 14 years, during which they welcomed daughter Bindi, 23, and son Robert, 18.
While in conversation with The Courier-Mail in 2021, Terri opened up about the relationship she shared with her late husband.
I married this incredible bloke 30 years ago today. What an adventure! Love and legacy live on. pic.twitter.com/FEHTYfh5Xf
— Terri Irwin (@TerriIrwin) June 3, 2022
While answering a question about her love life, she said: "You know, and I keep saying this, and I think maybe 15 years later people are finally starting to believe me, Steve was it for me."
"That's just the way it is," she added. "I had a big, big love and it was enough to last a lifetime."
"I think when you become a young widow, it can be uncomfortable for other couples, that go, 'Oh well, now she's single, is she looking around?' And my male friends are more comfortable, they can see I'm not chasing them," she told the outlet. "I'm too busy to chase anybody."
Making a confession in 2018 to PEOPLE about her dating life, Terri said that she is satisfied with her two kids and even though some women have asked her out, she has not gone out on a date since her husband's demise. "I think it's wonderful when people who have lost someone find love again, but I'm not personally looking, and I haven't been on a date in 27 years."
"I've already had my happily ever after," she shared.
"No matter the circumstances are that you lose someone, nobody's truly prepared," Terri added. "Steve's accident was so unexpected, it was extremely challenging."
To cope with these challenges, she shared that she would sit down with her children every night which helped them heal. "We'd each say our favorite part of the day, what we were most looking forward to tomorrow, and a good deed we did that day," she said. "You can't focus on yourself. You need to focus on what you're doing for others and then you can start to heal."
Even though the family still misses Steve every day, they have made it their mission to carry on his legacy and passion for conservation. "Steve was someone who was larger than life and really did live life to the fullest," she explained. "Even though he died at 44 years of age, he lived such a full life and that's what I want to do and share."
Their daughter, Bindi Irwin, also celebrated the special day by sharing a sweet blast-from-the-past image of her parents on Instagram and captioned it, "30 years of a love story that has inspired the world. ❤️"
References:
https://people.com/tv/terri-irwin-hasnt-dated-since-steve/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Justin Sullivan
