Robert Irwin sparks Bachelor speculation with telling new comments

Robert Irwin has been in demand ever since he won the mirrorball trophy on Dancing With the Stars in November, with fans speculating that he could be the next star of The Bachelor franchise thanks to his good looks and easy charm. 

The Australian shared with Entertainment Tonight at an NFL Super Bowl event that he wouldn’t rule out an appearance on the dating show in the future. “Never say never, I’m in this realm right now where I’m like, never say never,” he said. “You know what? Watch this space. Who knows?” 

“It’s a strange world. Anything could happen,” he continued. “I feel like some of the rumors flying around during Dancing with the Stars – like, Robert’s gonna be the next Bachelor – I’m like, oh my goodness. I’m a zookeeper.” 

“I’m an animal conservationist. That’s my thing. My world is very different from most of the things that are reported on about me,” he explained, before adding that his life was “a lot more boring than you might think.” 

Robert’s most recent public relationship was with Heath Ledger’s niece, Rorie Buckley, whom he dated for more than a year. The pair kept their romance largely out of the spotlight until their split in 2024. 

The 22-year-old sparked dating rumors with actress and former DWTS winner Xochitl Gomez when they danced together for the Relay round of the dance competition in November. 

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Robert previously shared the ideal qualities he was looking for in a future partner. “I think more than anything else, just genuine kindness, and that’s so important. I think you need to surround yourself with people who are genuinely kind,” he told E! News. 

Learn more about Robert’s next steps below…

“My life is a whirlwind, it’s an adventure,” he continued. “I would love to be able to share that with someone and to share those little moments. I have a lot of great role models in the love department and a lot of people I look up to and go, ‘Wow, couples goals.’ So I want to find that.” 

“It’s something you kind of can’t rush,” he added. “It just has to happen, and you’ve got to be open to that. I know she’s out there, and I look forward to it.” 

Robert’s sister, Bindi, has been married to her husband, Chandler Powell, since 2020, and the pair share a four-year-old daughter, Grace. His mother, Terri, met crocodile hunter Steve Irwin in October 1991 at the Australia Zoo, and they married eight months later. 

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“In both instances, [Terri and Chandler] were American tourists that were coming over and visiting the zoo,” Robert told People. “So I’m waiting. I’m waiting for that American tourist to come into the zoo and for it all to happen!” 

“I look at when my brother-in-law Chandler and my sister Bindi met, it was just meant to be,” he added. “And when my mom and dad met, it was this crazy, serendipitous, amazing moment that just was a fluke.”