Crikey, mates! Bindi Irwin, that Whirling Wonder from Down Under, is taking the country by storm!
The newly crowned “Dancing With the Stars” champ plans to move to the U.S. to launch her own TV talk show, The National ENQUIRER can reveal.
Execs rushed to recruit the bubbly teen after more than 14 million viewers choked back tears when she performed a touching tribute to her father, the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin.
“The amazing reaction said it all,” gushed an insider. “Even though Bindi is from Australia, she’s become America’s sweetheart. She’s also proved she’s ratings gold.
“TV execs are desperate to sign her up to host a big talk show. Bindi has vowed to keep her father’s nature conservation legacy alive, and she’s not going to let it stop her from moving here to do just that.”
Bindi’s father was killed in 2006 at age 44 when a stingray’s barb pierced his heart while he was snorkeling off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
In a heartwarming tribute to him, Bindi and partner Derek Hough danced flawlessly to the song “Footprints in the Sand” on Nov. 23.
As the couple walked over digitally projected sand, a pair of ghost footprints walked with them.
The performance ended with a giant photo of a very young Bindi kissing her dad on the cheek.
“Dancing” insiders later revealed 17-year-old Bindi had no idea the photo would be shown. When she saw it, she embraced Derek and sobbed in his arms.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, and the three judges awarded the duo perfect 10s.
Dancer Julianne Hough wiped away tears, saying: “She’s left an imprint on all our hearts.”
The performance also left TV reviewers blubbering.
Noting Bindi’s partner had battled through sickness to perform, Los Angeles Times critic T.L. Stanley confessed: “Unlike Derek, I was not under the influence of cold meds, and I cried anyway.”
During her post-performance interview, Bindi bared her soul about the loss of her father. “Sometimes during rehearsals it feels like there’s three people in the room,” she said. “And I do feel like Dad is with me every day.
“You can see all the bruises on the outside, and the inside of me is kind of the same.”
Later that evening, Bindi shared a childhood photo of her with her dad, mom Terri and younger brother Bob on a social networking site.
She wrote: “The last photo ever taken of us as a family. The day before I had to wave goodbye to my hero without knowing it would be the last time. But Dad, I know you walk beside me always and your strength lives within me. I love you.”
After winning the Mirrorball Trophy, an elated Bindi gushed: “Thank you all for changing my life.”
