Heartbreaking reason Terri Irwin hasn't dated anyone else since Steve Irwin's death

Steve Irwin passed away 18 years ago, leaving behind his wife Terri and their two children, Robert and Bindi Irwin.

Over the years, the family have honoured Steve and his incredible contribution to conservation and zoology, and in a recent interview, Terri spoke about her late husband and the love she has for him.

She explained that she has no plans to date anybody else, and the reason why is pretty heart-wrenching.

“I totally got my happily ever after,” Terri told US Weekly earlier this year.

“And while there are a lot of wonderful men in the world, can you see another Steve Irwin? I just can’t. I’d be like, ‘I love that you’re a librarian and the Dewey Decimal System is cool, but I got to go jump a crocodile and do that.’ Forget that.

“I had the best marriage in the whole world for 14 years, and I’m very comfortable with the person I see in the mirror.

“So I’m okay to be on my own now. And I’m lonely for Steve, but I’m not a lonely person, so I’m very lucky.”

Steve said it was 'love at first sight' (Denise Truscello/WireImage)

Terri said that if Steve were here today he'd be 'very proud' of everything the family had achieved since his death.

"He would actually go [and] stare [into the fire],” she said.

“And [one day] he came in and he goes, ‘We have to have children. Who are we going to leave this all to? We have to have children.’ And I go, ‘Just because you have kids, doesn’t mean they’re going to be interested in what you’re doing.’

"And he goes, ‘No, we’re having children and they’re going to love wildlife and conservation.’"

Terri, Robert and Bindi have been continuing the conservation efforts (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

Steve previously spoke about the moment he met Terri, explaining it was love at first sight.

He recalls spotting her in a crowd of people in the zoo, saying: "I looked up and our eyes met, and my heart just went 'bang bang bang bang', it just started thumping. It was love at first sight."

Steve admitted that his description of the moment might sound like it came from a 'love novel', but continued: "It's true!"

In her own recollection of the events, Terri admitted she was quickly 'sold' on Steve, too, saying: "I thought, 'this man is the most incredible guy I've ever seen. He's probably married, he's got to be taken.'"

Of course, Steve wasn't taken and the pair tied the knot in 1992.