Bindi Irwin has danced her way to stardom of the US version of Dancing With The Stars.
It’s an incredible result for ‘Team Crikey’ given Bindi, 17, had never taken so much as a single dance or ballet lesson before she got started.
Bindi’s latest performance, during today’s semi-final (it was held Monday night in the US) included a ranchy dance with a thick rope around her neck, and a stage-dive into the crowd.
It was a bit of an odd week, because one of the four semi-finalists had to withdraw from today’s show after doctors discovered a potentially deadly clot in Tamar Braxton’s lungs. (Tamar, who is Toni Braxton’s sister, is a reality star in the US.)
Tamar’s withdrawal meant that the three remaining couples, Bindi included, went straight through to next week.
Still, Bindi’s performance was well-received: she and her partner, Derek Hough, also danced the salsa to ‘You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile’ by the rarely-photographed Australian star, Sia (she’s best known for her No.1 hit, Chandelier.)
Bindi – who most Australians remember as a pint-sized wildlife warrior in a mini zookeeper costume – couldn’t contain her delight.
‘I keep pinching myself,’ she said, ‘I’m so happy, truly, truly. This whole journey has changed me as a person and to come back every week is extraordinary.’
‘I’ve really grown as a person,’ she continued. ‘I’ve gotten such an awareness of how my body can move. I have awareness of what it means to be a girl. Rhinestones and feathers! It was quite daunting but to now say: I can wear heels and dresses, it’s amazing.’
Bindi has been at it 60 days, with the final to take place just days before Thanksgiving.
Her partner, Derek – who is a five-time Mirror Ball champion, and whose sister is one of the judges, which has caused some consternation on Twitter – said that when Bindi first came to rehearsals, she was leaving ‘pieces of dirt on the dance floor from like a hike she did months ago, and now she’s like a young woman.’
Asked whether she’ll keep up with the false eyelashes and the feathers after the show, she said: ‘When I’m not at the zoo, maybe! I don’t know how (the crocodiles) would react to that.’
Bindi is a firm favourite to win the competition, although anything can happen, of course.
She has been widely praised in the US for bringing a sunny dose of Australian positivity to the show, and she is a natural in front of the camera, which is perhaps not surprising, since she was a regular on her Dad, Steve Irwin’s show, and she also had her own who, Bindi the Jungle Girl, on Discovery TV.
