Conservationist Robert Irwin isn’t afraid to admit that the bright lights of Hollywood aren’t necessarily his thing.
“Being in L.A. for the last three months has been wonderful, but I am not a city kid,” Irwin, 22, said during an interview with The West Australian published on Friday, January 16. “I live out in the bush and have grown up there, so it’s good to be back where there’s a bit of greenery.”
In the wake of his season 34 of Dancing With the Stars win alongside his professional dancing partner Witney Carson, Irwin has temporarily relocated to South Africa to begin filming I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!. While the idea of surviving weeks in a remote jungle shoulder-to-shoulder other stars sounds like a nightmare to most, the location offered a bit of a reprieve for Irwin.
“I couldn’t wait to get here, actually,” Irwin, son of the late wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin, told the outlet.
Despite his aversion to big cities, Robert says he was grateful for the opportunity to appear on — and eventually win — the popular reality dance competition, morphing into a bonafide sex symbol in the process.
“All of that was not on my bingo car,” the wildlife aficionado said. “I honestly didn’t expect the whirlwind that this past year has been — it’s been a really big one.
He continued of his time on Dancing With the Stars, “Dancing was always a dream of mine and something I always wanted to do. I knew it would happen eventually, but I didn’t think it would happen this year.”
In September 2025, Robert exclusively opened up to Us Weekly about what he believes his late father would think of his time on the dance floor. (Steve died on September 4, 2006, at age 44 after suffering an underwater accident involving a stingray while filming. Robert was 2 years old at the time.)
“After doing this experience, I reckon I think he’d be stoked,” Robert told Us while attending the September 16, 2025, premiere of the show. “I reckon he would love it in here. This is like the ultimate adrenaline rush, and that’s what he loved more than anything else.”
Robert continued of his father in the ballroom after dancing the jive, “[My dad] showed what it is to live life at 100 percent, to lead with a sense of authentic positivity and enthusiasm. And that’s what I want to do, and that’s what I want to bring into the ballroom. It’s such a privilege to be able to do that alongside Witney. And honestly, everything out there is all thanks to Witney and all thanks to the team that we’ve got. I’m so lucky that we got this together.”
Now that Robert has the Mirrorball Trophy tucked away at home and a busy schedule ahead, fans continue to be curious about one thing — the conservationist’s dating life.
“On behalf of every single woman under the age of 30, are you single?” a radio jockey on Australia’s KISS FM asked Robert during a Monday, January 19, appearance.
“Oh, we’re going straight in for the exclusive,” Robert responded, before confirming that “yes, yes,” he is currently single. He is, however, “open” to dating and “looking for love.”
“Oh, definitely. It’s one of these things where I’m, like, at this point in my life where you sort of, you gotta let it happen,” he continued. “Because I’m so here and there and everywhere and 100 miles per hour.”
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