Amanda Vanstone has come under fire after taking a swipe at Bindi Irwin.
On last night’s episode of The Verdict, the former senator took aim at Bindi while she was being praised by host Karl Stefanovic for winning the US version of Dancing with the Stars.
“I wanted to end on something light and fun and given what she’s been through, my feel good story is Bindi Irwin up there on the stage over there in America dancing up a storm, god love her,” said Karl.
“And she’s just a really special person; she’s made me cry a couple of times, she’s made me laugh.”
However, Ms Vanstone couldn’t understand the fuss.
“Give me a break,” she interrupted. “She’s not the only kid whose father has died. My father died when I was young; it happens to lots of kids. It doesn’t make her special.”
“How many years ago did her father die?”
“Come on Amanda,” Stefanovic responded.
“I was just trying to end the show on something nice. Wow.”
Fellow panellist, former Labor leader Mark Latham said: “That was mean and nasty, you can’t say that. That’s something that not even I’d say.”
Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray barb to the heart in 2006 while filming a documentary in Port Douglas. Bindi was just eight years old.
