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Twist of fate! Inside Robert Irwin's 'secret' relationship with Heath Ledger's daughter Matilda

The pair's close friendship comes after Robert, 19, and Matilda, 17, found themselves having more in common than what meets the eye

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Robert Irwin has developed a close bond with his girlfriend Rorie Buckey's cousin Matilda Ledger. The pair's close friendship comes after Robert, 19, and Matilda, 17, found themselves having more in common than what meets the eye. The Aussie natives both lost their fathers under tragic circumstances when they were just two years old. 

The amateur photographer had traveled to New York to support his sister Bindi who was undergoing an endometriosis surgery. That's when he is believed to have connected with Matilda during the journey. The 19-year-old and 17-year-old's meet-cute is "really is a twist of fate," claimed a source. "It's hard to imagine a pair of Aussie kids who share a more similar story than Matilda and Robert. It really is a twist of fate that they ended up sharing such a strong link through Rorie," a source told Woman's Day. "Getting to know Matilda who's in a similar boat not remembering her dad because she was so young, would be so cathartic for him," the source added 

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How did Robert Irwin and Matilda Ledger's fathers die?

Robert is the son of renowned zookeeper and environmentalist Steve Irwin, who died at age 44 after a short-tailed stingray's barb pierced his chest while filming a documentary in the Great Barrier Reef in 2006. Matilda's father was popular actor Heath Ledger who died in a New York City apartment on January 22, 2008, after accidentally overdosing at only the age of 28.

At the time, the '10 Things I Hate About You' star was suffering from months of physical and mental distress. He died as a "result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine," the spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, Ellen Borakove told ABC News.

However, even though the pair experienced the devasting loss of their fathers at such a young age, that did not stop Robert from sharing his father's wildlife dream and Matilda from following her father's footsteps into the film industry. 

Robert Irwin and Rorie Buckey's beachside date

Matilda is the cousin of Rorie Buckey, Roberts's girlfriend. Robert and Rorie were romantically linked since November 2022 after the pair were spotting on a beachside date in Queensland. They were spotted taking a sunset stroll while grinning uncontrollably. The two soon found a path of grass and sat down there after purchasing hamburgers and fries from a neighborhood Grill'd restaurant. At this point, Robert threw his arms around the blonde beauty and gave her a massive bear hug during their beachside date.