'It's devastating': Robert Irwin shares heartbreaking post as his granddad Clarence Raines battles dementia
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA: Robert Irwin made a heartbreaking revelation about his maternal grandfather’s health issues as he struggles with dementia on an Australian talk show on Sunday, December 4.
Having to see his grandfather, Clarence Raines, father of Robert's mother Terri Irwin, suffer from the tragic effects of a disease that causes deterioration of cognitive functioning, the 19-year-old wildlife conservationist expressed his heart-wrenching experience on The Project, as reported by the Daily Mail. "I think there's no one living who hasn't encountered someone or has a loved one who has experienced this. My grandfather on my mum's side had a form of dementia and a lot of family friends have had that as well," he expressed.
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Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin has shared his heartbreak as his grandfather battles dementia. https://t.co/aaOOE9BOQh
— Metro (@MetroUK) December 4, 2022
"And it's devastating someone you love, someone you're close to, you see going through that and not being able to relive and enjoy the moments they had," he continued. The son of Steve Irwin admitted that the tragic experience has altered his own outlook on life. "It's heartbreaking but I guess it just reminds you you've got to spend every second with the people you love, and really surround yourself with love and light," he stated.
The wildlife photographer added that he was hopeful a new proposed treatment might provide a cure for those suffering from the degenerative disease. "Hopefully this is light at the end of the tunnel for a safe way for people to stop this," he concluded.
Things are tense on the other side of the Irwin family as well. Robert's paternal grandfather Bob Irwin, who is the father of Robert's late dad Steve Irwin, expressed being upset over not having met his great-granddaughter, first child of Bindi Irwin after she raised the mental abuse allegations against the former.
In March 2021, Bindi welcomed her daughter, Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, who is yet to meet her 83-year-old great-grandfather, according to Woman's Day as per the Daily Mail. "He still talks about Steve (Irwin) and the kids, but it's with sadness. I'm sure he's devastated not to know his great-grandchild," an insider told the magazine. The report further claims that all photos of Bob have been stripped from the Irwin family home at Australia Zoo. The insider alleges that there's "hardly any proof Bob ever existed."
This comes after Bindi, 24, revealed the "psychological abuse" that Bob forced upon her since she was a "little girl". "He has ignored my correspondence and from the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me. He has never said a single kind word to me personally," she said, according to MarieClaire.