Robert Irwin makes red carpet debut with famous girlfriend

On Monday night, Robert Irwin made his red carpet debut with his new girlfriend, Rorie Buckley, at the Sydney premiere of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning.

The 19-year-old conservationist, and the 18-year-old niece of the late Heath Ledger, posed for the cameras on the red carpet at the International Convention Centre ahead of the premiere.

Irwin wore an all-black suit, while Buckley opted for an asymmetrical long black dress with a side cutout.

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The pair were first spotted together late last year cuddling on a Queensland beach.

In November, the couple were photographed eating burgers and watching the sunset by New Idea.

Buckley, the daughter of the late Heath Ledger’s sister, also joined Robert and his mother, Terri, at the crocodile show at the Australia Zoo on his birthday last December.

Irwin is reportedly close to Buckley’s cousin Matilda Ledger, with the two bonding over losing their fathers at such a young age.

"While Matilda hasn't spent much time in Australia, her mum [Michelle Williams] has made sure she stays in touch with her Aussie family, including her cousins on that side," an insider told Woman's Day.

"While Robert was in New York, there was talk of him meeting up with Matilda in Brooklyn."

"It's hard to imagine a pair of Aussie kids who share a more similar story than Matilda and Robert. It really is a twist of fate that they ended up sharing such a strong link through Rorie," another source told the publication.

"Getting to know Matilda who's in a similar boat not remembering her dad because she was so young, would be so cathartic for him."

In December, Irwin spoke about his sister Bindi wanting him to find someone special after she welcomed her daughter Grace Warrior with husband Chandler Powell in March 2021.

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"It's pretty funny because of course, my sister has gotten married and had a kid and there's always a lot of rumors that go around," he told E! News.

"'Bindi's having a second kid' or 'they're having triplets.'

"There's always so many crazy things that happen so Bindi always says, 'Robert, it's your turn now. You gotta find someone to take the heat off me!'"

Buckley is currently based in Perth, and Irwin is on the Gold Coast, so the couple are making it work long distance at the moment.

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