Terri Irwin is reportedly attempting to relocate I’m A Celebrity! Get Me Out Of Here from South Africa to Australia.
The mother of host Robert Irwin, 21, wants to move production of the Network Ten show ‘to one of her properties’ according to New Idea this week.
The ‘mumager’ is believed to hold a real estate portfolio valued ‘northwards of $100 million,’ and many of her properties could fit the bill for the wildlife-themed reality TV hit.
Chief among them is Australia Zoo, which boasts plentiful accommodation at The Crocodile Lodge.
Rooms at the the Irwins’ Sunshine Coast estate are priced upwards of $1000 per night.
‘There isn’t much they couldn’t do in Oz that they could do in South Africa,’ an insider told New Idea.
Terri also owns the 130,000-hectare Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve in Cape York, Far North Queensland, and 1416 hectares of land in Blackbutt, Queensland known as the Ironbark Station.
The Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve ‘is made up of a vast mosaic of rainforests, wetlands and savannahs,’ according to its website, comprising ’35 different ecosystems’ visited by conservation and education groups each year.
Terri’s suggestion to the I’m A Celebrity! producers is reportedly that one of the family’s many conservation properties could make the ideal backdrop for the Australian format of the popular survival show.
While the celebrity contestants tough it out in the ‘jungle’, the newly opened Crocodile Cabins at Australia Zoo could provide luxe stays for VIP guests and crew.
In December, Terri and Bindi announced the launch of the new cabins, which can each accommodate four guests and currently require a three-night minimum stay at $6,397 – or just over $2,100 a night to book.
‘With Australia Zoo now offering [The Crocodile Hunter Lodge], their new facilities could easily house the many staff that are involved in bringing the show to life,’ the inside source continued.
‘There would also be something really special about watching Robert co-host the show in his own backyard,’ the magazine’s source continued.
Daily Mail Australia has approached Channel 10 and Australia Zoo for comment.
While the show is known for its South African setting – one previous season was filmed in Dungay, NSW, during the pandemic in 2021.
The rumours come after reports that Terri stopped at nothing to prevent her son’s new girlfriend from joining him in the jungle this year.
Robert is rumoured to be dating Charlotte Briggs, a former staff member of Australia Zoo, since November 2024.
Sources tell Daily Mail Australia the television star is waiting for his mum to approve of his new ‘squeeze’ before going public with the relationship.
‘Terri wants Robert to focus on his career and she isn’t ready to have him tied up in a family like Bindi.’
At least, not yet.
Meanwhile, an I’m A Celebrity crew member says Terri is confirmed to stay by her youngest child’s side for the duration of filming in the jungle – ‘something producers were hoping would be different for the 2025 series’.
It’s not the first time Robert has been ‘blocked’ from taking a partner on a job – with his previous girlfriend Rorie Buckey being dumped last year just before they had planned to be both in South Africa during production in 2024.
Robert and mum Terri arrived at Sydney Airport in January, ten days out from the premiere of I’m A Celeb’s anticipated season on Channel 10.
A family friend told Daily Mail Australia the young TV presenter has been advised to set boundaries with his mum if he wants his future romantic relationships to succeed.
‘There was an expectation that Robert was about to officially announce his relationship with Australia Zoo staff member Charlotte Briggs,’ the source revealed.
‘But just days before flying to South Africa for I’m A Celebrity, that announcement went cold.’
Robert still resides with his mother at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast, and the insider claims the situation is affecting his ability to establish a lasting relationship of his own.
They said Robert was given some very blunt advice – ‘You are going to need to move out of the family home if you want to make your next relationship work.’
While the Irwins’ tight-knit bond has been celebrated for years, friends close to Robert believe it’s time for him to assert his independence and focus on creating a life of his own.
