The heartbreaking rift that has long marred the Irwin family may finally be over as Bindi Irwin and her estranged cousin Rebecca Lobie look close to reconciling their tumultuous relationship.
Bindi, 24, and Rebecca, 34 – who is the daughter of Steve’s sister Joy – reportedly fell out following a spate of sudden and mysterious departures at Australia Zoo, which culminated in Joy and husband Frank Muscillo leaving in 2015.
Chandler wants the feud to end.
(Image: Instagram)But a well-placed insider tells Woman’s Day that while Bindi is “fiercely loyal to her mum”, she is open to starting a dialogue with her cousin, after rumours began circling that Rebecca is having issues with her husband of 16 years, Mick.
“Bindi is compassionate, and it would break her heart to know a member of her family is going through a tough time,” says our source, adding that her 26-year-old husband Chandler Powell has also been encouraging her to “forgive and forget the past”.
“He understands family squabbles, but he thinks it will be good for them to move on, not only for Bindi – but for their two-year-old daughter Grace.”
They were close before the mysterious falling out.
(Image: Instagram)HOPE IN THE HEARTACHE
“There are still a few people who remain close with both Bindi and Rebecca’s sides of the family, and there is hope that something good can come out of this sad situation – namely, that Bindi and Becky bury the hatchet,” the insider divulges.
They add that Rebecca “will be looking for something positive to pour her heart into” if they are having troubles, which – if their social media posts are anything to go by – appears to almost certainly be the case.
Our source admits that “going back to the zoo and being taken under Bindi’s wing could be just the ticket” to help Rebecca move on from her heartbreak. Better yet, it could finally be the catalyst that puts a decade-old feud to bed.
The Irwin clan have long kept mum about the real reason why Rebecca’s parents walked away from the zoo in 2015, however Rebecca has made some gentle digs throughout the years.
In 2021, following Bindi’s scathing post about her estranged grandfather Bob Irwin – where she accused the family’s patriarch of “mental abuse” – Rebecca took to Instagram to say she was “mentally drained” before announcing she would be starting her own adult subscription-based website, which was said to be a shock for the Irwins, who pride themselves on being a family-friendly brand.
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