Bindi Irwin is recovering after a surprise surgery.
The zookeeper and TV personality missed an annual gala honoring her late father Steve Irwin on May 10 due to undergoing an emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix, her brother told People.
“She’s going to be OK, but surgery – out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them,” Robert Irwin told the outlet on the gala’s red carpet. “She’s just come out the other side of endometriosis and now the appendix goes.”
Robert Irwin added that their mother, Terri Irwin, would also miss the gala to help his sister recover.
Bindi Irwin revealed in 2023 that she had been diagnosed with endometriosis, a “disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus” associated with “severe, life-impacting” pain, according to the World Health Organization.
At the time, she wrote in an Instagram post that she experienced 10 years of “insurmountable fatigue, pain & nausea” and doctors had written it off as “something you deal with as a woman” before she found an answer.
Robert Irwin added that his sister was going to “tough it out” before her surgeon urged the appendix removal.
“She’s very sad. She’s devastated that she and mom can’t be here, but I know she’ll make a speedy recovery,” he said. “Health is so important – it really is. Bindi has become an incredible advocate for women’s health, particularly, and I think it’s really important to prioritize getting help.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What happened to Bindi Irwin? Star recovering from appendectomy
