REALITY TV
TV
MOVIES
MUSIC
CELEBRITY
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Accuracy & Fairness Corrections & Clarifications Ethics Code Your Ad Choices
© MEAWW All rights reserved
MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

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
UPDATED MAR 29, 2023
Robert Irwin has developed a close friendship with Heath Ledger's daughter Matilda Ledger (@robertirwinphotography/Instagram; Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
Robert Irwin has developed a close friendship with Heath Ledger's daughter Matilda Ledger (@robertirwinphotography/Instagram; Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

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 

READ MORE

San Francisco DJ Jeffrey Vandergrift's wife Natasha Yi says her 'heart is crushed' after his body was found

Doctors warn against Gwyneth Paltrow’s BIZARRE rectal ozone therapy, says it has no scientific proof


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Robert Irwin (@robertirwinphotography)


 

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.


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Robert Irwin (@robertirwinphotography)


 

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.


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Heath Andrew Ledger (@heathledgermemory)


 

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. 

Actor Heath Ledger poses during the photocall for
Heath Ledger poses during the photocall for "A Knight's Tale" on September 1, 2001, at the Deauville Festival of American Cinema in Deauville, France (Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

Robert Irwin and Rorie Buckey's beachside date

Robert Irwin and Rorie Buckley have reportedly kept their budding romance a secret so far (Instagram/robertirwinphotography, Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
Robert Irwin and Rorie Buckley have reportedly kept their budding romance a secret so far (Instagram/@robertirwinphotography and Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)

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. 

POPULAR ON MEAWW
MORE ON MEAWW