Robert Irwin appears sombre on arrival at Steve Irwin gala in Las Vegas – as sister Bindi is forced to miss the event for emergency surgery

Robert Irwin appeared downcast on Saturday as he arrived at the annual Steve Irwin gala in Las Vegas without his sister Bindi.

The Wildlife Warrior, 21, was left to hit the red carpet on his own after his sibling suffered a ruptured appendix and was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.

Stepping out at the Bellagio Resort & Casino, Robert appeared sombre without his family as he slipped into a beige suit for the charity which honoured his late father.

Nevertheless, the wildlife conservationist appeared to quickly pull himself together and don a smile for the cameras as he posed up a storm for the cameras. 

Looking dapper in a crisp bow-tie, the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! host opted for a white undershirt and shiny brown loafers to complete his look. 

Robert appeared to put on a brave face as Bindi, 26, recovered in the hospital where she was rushed just hours after touching down in Las Vegas.  

Robert Irwin, 21, appeared downcast on Saturday as he arrived at the annual Steve Irwin gala in Las Vegas without his sister Bindi, 26

Bindi suffered a ruptured appendix and was raced into surgery on Saturday, missing the event she was due to attend alongside Robert and mother Terri Irwin.  

Robert told People magazine Bindi is recovering and her mother is at her bedside. 

‘She’s going to be okay, but surgery – out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them,’ Robert explained. 

Terri also missed the event while accompanying her daughter to hospital and staying by her side through surgery. 

Robert explained Bindi had been suffering some pain in the lead up to the gala but had tried to soldier on. 

‘She came to Las Vegas and was ready to put on a brave face. She said, “I’m just going to tough it out.”

‘But the surgeon told her, “Your appendix is going. It’s got to come out.”‘

Both Terri and Bindi missed the gala, which raises funds for their organisation Wildlife Warriors, but Robert was able to attend and share the grim news. 

The Wildlife Warrior was left to hit the red carpet on his own after his sibling suffered a ruptured appendix and was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery

It’s not the first time Bindi has suffered ill health in recent years.  

In a rare interview, the media personality opened up about the hidden struggles she faced behind closed doors.

Speaking to Sarah Grynberg on a new episode of the podcast A Life of Greatness, she shared insights into her grief, chronic illness, and the importance of speaking up for women’s health.

For more than a decade, Bindi battled severe, undiagnosed health issues she kept private, known only to her husband Chandler Powell, mum Terri, and younger brother Robert.

‘Behind closed doors I was struggling to do anything and everything,’ she said. 

She was in constant pain, extreme fatigue, and forced to cancel work commitments, often leaving her feeling isolated and misunderstood.

‘I think people must have thought I was just incredibly flaky because I was getting so sick… I would try to get up, and I really would just throw up. I was in so much pain all the time,’ Bindi said. 

After years of being told by doctors her symptoms were ‘just part of being a woman’, she finally found the answer to her long-standing struggle: endometriosis.

Nevertheless, the wildlife conservationist appeared to quickly pull himself together and don a smile for the cameras as he posed up a storm for the cameras

Bindi was eventually diagnosed with over 30 lesions of endometriosis, some so debilitating they had adhered her ovary to her side.

She underwent surgery in the United States, a procedure which changed her life.

‘Endometriosis is an enormous problem for so many people, and it’s not talked about enough. I went 10 years undiagnosed because doctors didn’t know enough,’ she said.

She explained how many women with endometriosis are misdiagnosed with conditions like IBS or hormonal issues, leading them to suffer in silence for years.

Bindi said she underwent every scan and test imaginable, including CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds and blood tests for ‘every tropical disease’ but ‘nothing came back’. 

‘I was so sick for so long,’ she said. 

Fortunately for Bindi, her family was always by her side.

‘I was so lucky where I had such a supportive family and they never gave up on me,’ she said. 

Looking dapper in a crisp bow-tie, the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! host opted for a white undershirt and shiny brown loafers to complete his look

 Robert appeared to put on a brave face as Bindi recovered in the hospital where she was rushed just hours after touching down in Las Vegas

‘They dealt with it for 10 years just as much as I did, trying to find answers and helping me along the way and saying, “Hey, you’re collapsed on the floor. You probably should get some help and you shouldn’t listen to the doctors saying this is normal,”‘ she continued.

‘But so many people don’t have that circle of people that they can count on. And so you turn to the medical industry looking for assistance and it can cause anxiety and depression – it’s very isolating.

‘And that’s where it just is so difficult. So you turn to people who you think will help you, and sometimes you don’t get the care that you so desperately deserve.’ 

Bindi credits the birth of her daughter Grace as the catalyst that pushed her to seek medical answers after years of suffering.

‘When I was so sick, it was hard to be the mum I wanted to be. Then I thought, I have to do something. This can’t just all be in my head,’ she explained. 

After surgery, Bindi says she is in a much better place, but she acknowledges endometriosis has no cure.

‘There’s no cure, but if you get surgery, you have a better shot at life. Maybe in five or 10 years, I’ll need another one, but for now, I’m so grateful.’

Bindi is now using her platform and voice to advocate for better education in women’s healthcare, particularly around endometriosis.

Now, as a mother herself to daughter Grace, Bindi also said she hopes to pass on the same values her parents instilled in her – kindness, resilience, and an unwavering dedication to wildlife conservation.

Steve tragically passed away in 2006 after being struck by a stingray while filming on the Great Barrier Reef.

Funds raised from the gala support Wildlife Warriors, the conservation charity Steve and Terri founded in 2002.

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