Bindi Irwin Misses Annual Steve Irwin Gala After Medical Emergency

Bindi Irwin was unable to make an appearance at an annual event honoring her late father after suffering a health emergency.

The 26-year-old's brother Robert Irwin explained that his sister could not attend the annual Steve Irwin Gala—celebrating the Crocodile Hunter's life and legacy 18 years after his death—because she was undergoing surgery after her appendix ruptured.

"She's going to be OK," Robert told People at the May 10 event in Las Vegas, "but surgery, out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them."

Bindi had already traveled to the city—and posted photos of herself standing with Robert and their mom Terri Irwin by the Bellagio resort's fountains on Instagram May 9—before the decision was made to undergo the operation and miss the event.

"She came to Las Vegas and was ready to come to the gala, put on a brave face in a lot of discomfort and a lot of pain and said, 'Nope, I’m just going to tough it out, I’m going to go for it,'" Robert said, "But the surgeon said, 'No, your appendix is going. That thing’s gotta come out.'"

The upcoming Dancing With the Stars season 34 contestant said that his and Bindi's mom would also be absent from the gala to help his sister during her recovery.

Bindi's medical emergency comes two years after she underwent surgery for another medical issue, a chronic one. In 2023, the Crikey! It's the Irwins star had an "enormous chocolate cyst" and more than 30 lesions surgically removed from her ovaries to treat endometriosis, a reproductive disease in which abnormal tissue grows outside the uterus, from which she has suffered for over a decade.

"She’s just come out the other side of endometriosis and now the appendix goes," Robert said. "Bindi has become an incredible advocate for women's health, particularly, and I think it’s really important to prioritize getting help."

Bindi's medical emergency took place just before Mother's Day. The same day as the gala, she received a sweet tribute from her husband Chandler Powell, with whom she shares daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, 4.

"Happy Mother’s Day to my beautiful, extraordinary wife," the 28-year-old wrote on Instagram May 10, alongside a photo of Bindi with their little girl. "I feel unbelievably lucky to spend my life married to you. It’s incredible to see the strong, kind, amazing mama you are to our daughter. I’m grateful that she gets to grow up with you as her inspiration. We love you so much."

Terri commented, "Happy Mother’s Day sweet Bindi."

Look back at Bindi and Chandler's romance.