Robert Irwin Credits Sister Bindi for His ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Win, Calls Her His ‘Inspiration’

Robert Irwin is riding high this week after clinching the Mirrorball Trophy on season 34 of Dancing with the Stars alongside partner Witney Carson. However, his win was deeply personal. In a heartfelt post-win message, he credited sister Bindi Irwin for being his muse and said her own 2015 win made him believe he had a chance at winning the competition.

On Instagram, Irwin, 21, shared a side-by-side of their two victories a decade apart, writing “10 years later… thanks for being my inspiration to take this leap, @bindisueirwin — love you.”

He later added a carousel of behind-the-scenes moments that featured rehearsals, candid shots, celebration photos.

“I miss this already,” he wrote alongside the photos.

Carson, 32, felt the same as she added in the comments section, “I miss you so much if you don’t already know from my texts.”

When asked what the win meant to him, Irwin didn’t hesitate.

“To follow in those footsteps and to do the same has meant everything to me,” he explained to People in an article published on Friday, November 28. “This has absolutely changed my life.”

“For Bindi, she was here to represent what our family’s all about. Our work at Australia Zoo and Wildlife Warriors, our charity, it’s the biggest wildlife hospital in the world,” the wildlife conservationist continued. “It’s conservation on the front line. It’s about making the world a better place. And when I watched her lift that Mirrorball, I saw her lifting that message.”