Robert Irwin has revealed he never actually gave his number to the tourist who went viral after travelling to Australia Zoo in an attempt to bag his digits, admitting he felt ‘flattered’ by the grand gesture.
Last month, a viral clip showed fan Megan Grass visiting the zoo to try and get a date with Irwin, the animal-loving son of the late ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin.
In the footage, which was posted on TikTok, Irwin could be seen smiling bashfully up at the zoo visitor, who called him 'cute' and asked for his number.
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Saying he felt 'very flattered,' Irwin then tactfully diverted the conversation to ask where the woman is from, as she explained that she hailed from Utah, United States.
Irwin then attempted to direct her to his Instagram rather than giving her his actual phone number, but she revealed that she'd already slid into his DMs the day before to let him know she'd be visiting the zoo that day.
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Irwin, 18, later said the moment ‘made his entire day’, but it turns out he never actually got in touch with the potential love interest.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph's Stellar, he said: “I was very flattered by this lovely Australia Zoo guest. It certainly means a lot!”
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Irwin continued: “While I wasn't able to give out my personal details, I really appreciated having a conversation with someone who definitely had a great interest and passion for the Zoo and my message.
“If they're not ready to don the khaki and go feed crocs? Mate, it's not happening!”
In a previous interview with Studio 10 Australia, Irwin had dodged the question when asked if he’d slid into Grass’ DMs after her visit.
He said: "Good question. It was honestly, can I tell you, that made my entire day. That was incredibly kind.
"A big thank you to Megan, wherever she is. That really meant a lot, it really did."
However, Irwin did go on to explain just how ‘hard’ it would be to respond to Grass as he 'can't really just go out and give [his] number out', especially as it’s ‘all over TikTok’ and he’d never met her before.
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Joking that he’s simply ‘out of range’ a lot of the time, Irwin added that Grass’ attempts to reach out to him were 'very flattering' and 'kind'.
"Kudos for the confidence to ask that,” he said.
“And it was great to have that little chat and see people who are really keen on the message I'm sending out there and listening to what I'm doing. It meant the world and I was very appreciative."
Jess Hardiman