Terri Irwin has shared a vulnerable glimpse into her life nearly 20 years after the death of her husband, Steve Irwin.

While she’s surrounded by family and deeply fulfilled by her conservation work, Terri Irwin has opened up in a new interview about the complex emotions she still carries.

Terri emphasised how aware the public was about Steve’s passing helped her manage the immediate aftermath.

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today

“The fact that I never have to tell anyone what happened to Steve because they already know is kind of a blessing, especially at first when it’s really difficult,” she told Stellar.

“I have seen it with my friends when they’ve lost someone. It’s just a natural part of conversation to say, ‘Oh my god, what happened?’ and they have to relive it over and over and over again. I don’t, because people know what happened.”

On September 4, 2006, Steve Irwin died after a stingray’s barb pierced his chest and heart while filming an underwater documentary at the Great Barrier Reef, leading to massive trauma and his death at 44-years-old.

Navigating life after Steve’s death at 44 meant creating her own path and leaning on a close inner circle. “It’s incredibly important that you travel your own road, and the only rules are that it can’t hurt you and it can’t hurt anyone else,” Terri explained.

“You’re not going to find solace in the bottom of a bottle of tequila. That’s just going to hurt you.”

Despite her fulfilling family life and the joy she takes in watching Bindi and Robert thrive, Terri revealed: “I’m sure there’s a lot of lovely people out there in the world, but I did find my happily ever after, and I think I still have a lot of love in my life,” she admitted.

“So I’m lonely for Steve, but I’m not lonely. I never mourn being on my own and not being in a relationship. I think we need to say that.”

Terri is incredibly proud of her children. ““Bindi is a way better mother than I ever was. I say that with sincere admiration,”“ she said.

Bindi Irwin, 26, is the chief executive of Australia Zoo and works alongside her husband, Chandler Powell, who is 28. The couple married in 2020 and share a four-year-old daughter, Grace Warrior Irwin Powell.

Meanwhile, Robert, 21, is building his entertainment career-earning a Gold Logie nomination in 2024 for co-hosting I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! and was recently announced as the first celebrity contestant on the upcoming US season of Dancing With The Stars.

Terri admits she has mixed feelings about Robert’s rising status as a sex symbol - a journey that began with his viral fashion shoot in 2022, gained momentum at the end of 2024, and was further boosted by his recent Bonds underwear campaign.

“Steve used to say to me, ‘It wasn’t until I started filming and became the Crocodile Hunter that girls looked at me twice,’” Terri recalled with a laugh.

“He was 30, by the way, when we got married. So he goes, ‘Where were they?’ So on one hand, cool for Robert to have flattering attention, and on the other hand, it’s a lot.

“And Steve used to say to me, ‘I’m glad we met before I was the Crocodile Hunter, because I know 100 per cent for sure that you just love me.’”