She’s annoyed her thunder is being stolen.

Bindi Irwin has happily watched from the sidelines as her young brother Robert’s star has risen so high it now eclipses hers, but enough is enough.

Sources tell New Idea the 26-year-old’s nose is “slightly out of joint” that Robert, 21, has signed up to compete on Dancing with the Stars (the US version, not the upcoming Australian one) – as that’s always been her big claim to reality TV fame.

Bindi was just 17 when she competed on the show in 2015. Partnered with professional dancer Derek Hough, she ended up taking home the Mirrorball Trophy.

“This was Bindi’s big win … her glory, and through no fault of her own, she was unable to continue building on the incredible momentum she got doing that show,” a well-placed source tells New Idea exclusively. “She still gets fan mail from American viewers.”

“While she’s proud of Robert breaking out of Australia Zoo and hosting I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Dancing with the Stars is a little close to the bone. It would have been nice for her to have just that one thing for herself.”
Bindi won the US series when she was just 17! (Credit: Getty)
Robert’s casting in the US series’ 34th season was confirmed to much fanfare at an event in Los Angeles on April 23. The new Bonds underwear ambassador and currently-single star appeared shirtless with a snake draped around his shoulders like a feather boa.

On Instagram, Bindi congratulated Robert on the news, explaining how excited she was to watch him on the dance floor. However, she couldn’t resist reminding him of the very big shoes he has to fill.

Along with a photo of her and Robert together in their Australia Zoo khakis, Bindi uploaded a throwback video from her own Dancing with the Stars stint.
A shirtless Robert got cosy with Dancing’s host Julianne Hough at the cast announcement event. (Credit: Social media)
“Can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I won,” she added in the caption.

Our source says it’s “going to be hard” for Bindi to watch Robert out there performing.

“The show was her last big triumph and unlike anything she could ever top again,” continues the source. “It’s also a reminder of how much her health problems have set her back.”

Bindi has spoken openly about living with endometritis and the crippling pain she endured until she finally had surgery in 2023.
Bindi and Rob are notoriously close. (Credit: Instagram)

Left to run Australia Zoo

Robert doing DWTS also means Bindi will be left holding down the fort at Australia Zoo, alongside her husband Chandler Powell. Robert will need to be based in America for several months for rehearsals and filming. His relocation will be extended if he makes it to the finals.

It’s thought that their mother, Terri, will be with Robert for a large part of the time, just like she joins him in South Africa for I’m A Celebrity filming.

“Robert’s absolutely ecstatic, but Terri and Bindi are not letting it get to his head,” says the source. “It’s true he’s always measured himself against his big sister, so there’s always been a competitive edge to his ambitions.

“Being invited on Dancing with the Stars wasn’t something he was going to say no to just to avoid hurt feelings. But in Robert’s defence, he always acknowledges he’d be nothing if it wasn’t for his family – he knows there’s no way he’d have been invited on if Bindi hadn’t been such a popular contestant.”