Robert Irwin has allegedly gotten in hot water with his mother Terri over his rugged new magazine photoshoot.
21-year-old TV presenter revealed a stylish new appearance when he chose not to wear his usual Australia Zoo khakis for a photoshoot with Stellar Magazine.
He displayed his modeling skills in the sophisticated cover shoot, wearing a variety of chic outfits and showcasing his fashion sense.
Pictured in the magazine feature titled ‘a grown-up conversation with Robert’, the environmentalist flaunted his muscular physique in a white tank top and faded jeans.
He also sported an edgy leather jacket as well as a suave Calvin Klein denim ensemble as he took a career step into modelling.
Though he sent tongues wagging with the shoot, his momager Terri, 60, was said to have been less than impressed by what she deemed to be ‘thirst trap’ photographs.
A source exclusively told Daily Mail Australia that Robert has ‘upset’ Terri with the magazine cover shoot, which came out on the same day as his 21st birthday on Sunday.
‘Terri Irwin has been quick to point out that the recent photoshoot has come off as a ‘thirst trap’ for her son and that hasn’t sat well with her,’ the source claimed.
‘The famous momager usually is across everything that her children Bindi and Robert put out into the media but somehow a series of photos got over the line, breaking one of her golden rules on not ”sexualising” the Irwin brand.
‘Everything is connected back to the Australia Zoo and family friendly branding, even the team behind the I’m A Celebrity machine know that Terri doesn’t want Robert positioned as a ”sex symbol”.
‘I think Terri felt blindsided by these pictures and the new attention Robert has been getting by new fans,’ they added.
The source also claimed that the photoshoot has carved out newly-single Robert’s place as ‘Australia’s most eligible bachelor’.
‘The comments section from ”thirsty Mums” in their thirties has been the most entertaining to read. No wonder Terri is anxious,’ they said.
It is not the first time Robert has dabbled in fashion as he made his runway and modelling debut during the Melbourne Fashion Festival earlier this year.
He channelled his inner James Bond as he took to the Suit Up runway, swamping his usual zookeeper attire for a series of very dapper suits.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Irwins’ representatives for comment.
Robert’s career has been going from strength to strength this year since he was signed up as the host of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia.
He has also been single following his split from his girlfriend Rorie Buckley in February and confessed that dating hasn’t been easy in a TV appearance earlier this month.
‘That’s an interesting world to navigate as well with [being in] the public eye and that sort of thing,’ he said on the Today show.
Admitting that he was not seeing anyone at present, Robert was asked about what he was ‘looking for’ in a partner.
‘I’m one of those people who is kind of gonna let it happen, I’m gonna let that unfold as it will,’ he shared.
‘I look at my parents as inspiration and I look at my sister [Bindi Irwin and her husband Chandler].’
‘I know there’s someone out there, but they are going to have to be a goer, they are going to be in this lifestyle, it’s here, it’s there, it’s everywhere but I would definitely one day love to, of course, share this wonderful life with someone special,’ he added.
Robert and Rorie were believed to have been dating since November 2022, but didn’t go Instagram official almost a year later in August 2023 as they kept their romance low-key.
The duo were last seen together in January looking smitten as they jetted out of Melbourne following their appearance at the Australian Open, but they split just weeks later.
Rorie reportedly completed an Irwin-approved ‘wildlife warrior boot camp’ before she and Robert became an official couple.
In December, Woman’s Day claimed that Rorie had to win over the family by having a willingness to get out into nature.
The couple went on crocodile research trip together where they uncovered ‘critical data’ for the Wildlife Warriors’ Worldwide foundation, impressing Robert’s mother Terri with her dedication to Australian wildlife.
Robert and Rorie, who is the niece of legendary Australian actor Heath Ledger, both grew up in the public eye after suffering the devastating loss of a family member.
Heath was at the top of his Hollywood career when he was tragically found dead in January 2008 following an accidental prescription drug overdose.
Robert’s father Steve Irwin, known to the world as the ‘Crocodile Hunter’, died aged 44 on September 4, 2006, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray.
