Steve Irwin’s son, Robert Irwin, and Heath Ledger’s niece, Rorie Buckey, are officially dating - and the internet can’t get enough of the new couple.
Many fans have been emotional ever since the two lovebirds confirmed their relationship on Instagram last week. However, it’s unclear whether social media users are crying tears of joy or sadness, now that the late Crocodile Hunter’s son is off the market.
The 19-year-old conservationist shared his first picture with Buckey, also 19, to his Instagram on 24 August. In the smiling selfie, the young Australian couple are seen posing together in front of a tree with pink flowers. He captioned the sweet photo with pink flower emoji, a sunflower emoji, and a sun emoji.
Meanwhile, Buckey also shared her first photo with Irwin on her Instagram page last week. “Adventure buddy,” she captioned the post, which showed the two standing overlooking a lake - sans khakis.
Fans have since flooded their comments with well wishes for the happy couple, like one Instagram user who wrote under Buckey’s post: “So wholesome!!”
“Aww so cute together!” another fan commented.
“All the happiness in the world to you two,” one person said, while someone else wrote: “Y’all are the cutest. Happy for y’all!”
However, the sentiment wasn’t exactly the same in the comments section under Irwin’s relationship hard launch.
“My condolences to all the broken hearts in Australia,” said one user.
“The the whole female population on life support right now,” another person joked.
“Just fell to my knees in a parking lot,” shared someone else, while one person said: “So many girls’ hearts just broke.”
Their respective Instagram posts even received the seal of approval from Irwin’s older sister, Bindi Irwin. “Love you both!” she wrote under her younger brother’s selfie, while she commented under Buckey’s post: “You guys.”
While the Australian natives recently made their relationship Instagram official, Irwin and Buckey have been reportedly dating since late last year. According to the Daily Mail, the two were pictured cuddling during a beachside date in Queensland on 18 November.
The following month, on Irwin’s birthday, the two were photographed sitting with his mother Terri Irwin at the Australia Zoo. Also in December, Buckey’s father Nathan Buckey confirmed their relationship to Daily Mail Australia, saying he “absolutely” approves of their romance but “didn’t want to go into detail”.
The two then made their red carpet debut at the Sydney premiere of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One on 3 July.
Buckey is the niece of the late actor Heath Ledger, who died in January 2008. Her mother, Kate Ledger, is the sister of The Dark Knight star and owns a design and media productions company, while her father is a floor coverings store owner. She also has a twin sister, Scarlett Buckey.
Following his death at age 28, Ledger’s family has kept his memory and legacy alive by creating the Heath Ledger Scholarship for promising young Australian actors.
