VARIOUS: Terri Irwin and daughter Bindi Irwin give first U.S. televised interview together since the death of the "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin last September

The wife of the late 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin and their 8-year-old daughter appeared on 'The Ellen Degeneres Show,' marking their first U.S. television interview since his death last September 4th. Irwin, who wore no wedding ring, spoke openly about the grief she has experienced since losing her husband, and revealed that he had been prepared for his own death years in advance. "Steve was never afraid for his own mortality you know, countless times he would say to me 'ok, now I can die -- this is the most incredible thing I have ever done, now I can die.' And then we'd go swim with the manatees and he would go 'ok, now I can die,' and then he'd go do something else, it was great," says the late 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin's wife Terri Irwin, on "The Ellen Degeneres Show." Later in the show, Degeneres welcomed eight year old Bindi Irwin, who will star in the 26-part 'Bindi, the Jungle Girl' series on Discovery Kids network this year. She will be appearing on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' later in the month, and will join Australian actors Russell Crowe and Naomi Watts, as well as Australian-born media baron Rupert Murdoch, for an upcoming gala dinner to promote travel to the antipodean country. Bindi told Degeneres of how she missed her dad and aims to follow in his footsteps. "So you feel like you're just like your dad?," asked Ellen Degeneres. "Yeah, I feel like I'm him all over," replied Bindi Irwin. "You seem like you're him, you have that kind of enthusiasm, that energy," said Degeneres. "Thank you very much. I want to be exactly like him," said Irwin. "I don't blame you. He was an amazing guy," said Degeneres, adding "I bet you miss him." "Oh yeah," Irwin replied. "But you're doing everything that he taught you how to do, so you're doing it every single day," said Degeneres. "Yeah, I want to try and be him, I want him to be proud of me," explained Irwin. Steve Irwin, 44, died on Sept. 4 after a stingray's serrated barb pierced his heart while he was filming scenes for a documentary off Australia's northeast coast. Bindi's U.S. tour coincides with the airing of the 'Ocean's Deadliest' documentary her exuberant, khaki-clad naturalist father was working on when he died. The episode of 'The Ellen Degeneres Show' featuring Terri and Bindi Irwin aired in the United States on January 11th.

ITN Source | January 17, 2007

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