Steve Irwin’s widow reveals he ‘never thought he’d have a long life’

It’s been nearly 12 years since zookeeper and “Crocodile Hunter” star Steve Irwin died while filming a documentary about some of the animals he was so passionate about during his life.

And while his death at the age of just 44 came as a shock to his many fans, according to his widow, Terri Irwin, it wouldn’t have shocked the man himself.

Steve Irwin knew the risks of the work he did and never envisioned living a long life, according to his widow, Terri Irwin.Getty Images
“He never thought he’d have a long life,” Terri revealed in an emotional interview for an Australian television series, “Anh’s Brush With Fame.” “He always kind of had this sense his life would be cut short.”

Irwin was proved right when snorkeling between takes for “Ocean’s Deadliest” at Batt Reef in Queensland, Australia, in 2006, when a stingray approached him and pierced his chest with its barb.

But Terri said there was something about his early exit that he would have never expected.

“No one would’ve been more surprised than Steve at the outpouring at grief and love,” she said.

Of course, no one felt grief more intensely following the devastating loss than his own family — Terri and their two children, Bindi, who was just 8 at the time, and Robert, who was 2.

Steve Irwin and his wife Terri in Queensland, Australia in 1999.RUSSELL MCPHEDRAN / AP
But the surviving Irwins found a way to channel their pain into a perpetual memorial to the man who inspired them all so much.

All three of them continue his work at Australia Zoo and have devoted their lives to animal conservation and bringing awareness to the causes that were close to Steve’s heart.

In April, the trio celebrated his continuing impact when Steve was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.