Robert Irwin breaks down in tears during emotional TV tribute to mum Terri on Dancing with the Stars

Robert Irwin broke down in tears during an emotional finish to his tribute dance dedicated to his mum, Terri Irwin, on this week's episode of Dancing with the Stars US.

Irwin performed a slow contemporary piece to Phil Collins You'll be in my heart with his partner Witney Carson.

There wasn't a dry eye in the room when Terri made a surprise appearance on stage at the end of the dance, with Carson stepping aside to let Irwin finish the number with his mum.

Rob spins his mum before pulling her in for a hug, breaking down in tears and resting his head on her shoulder.

The judges, hosts, Terri, and even the other dancers shed a few tears.

Judge Bruno Tonioli started by saying "He's (Steve Irwin) is looking down at you kid, and he's smiling... You gave us all of your heart and soul... this was a true expression of everlasting love."

Robert was overcome with emotion, approaching the judge and pulling him in for a hug.

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"I've never had kids, but I have to say if I had kids I'd them to be like Robert," Carrie Ann Inaba said.

Judge Derek Hough also teared up saying: "the love I have for your family, I'm so proud of you man... the world needs the Irwin family."

Kym Johnson also teared up, applauding Terri for raising such "amazing" kids.

The camera panned to Bindi, who was wiping her tears away in the audience.

She also joined her family on stage at the end, embracing her brother.

The pair scored 35 out of a total 40 points.

Rob also took to Instagram before the dance with a heartwarming post paying tribute to Terri.

"Tonight I dance for my mum, the strongest person I know," the post starts.

"My mum and dad created a legacy that I'm proud to continue.

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Robert Irwin's action-packed life in pictures

"I hope I can use this dance to share what she means to me, to our family, and to say thank you for always supporting me through life's ups and downs. See you tonight."

Irwin has expressed numerous times how grateful he is for his family flying out to LA to support him on his Dancing with the Stars journey.

In a separate post yesterday, Irwin admitted it has been an emotional week for him.

"It has been an emotional week in rehearsals. I've been thinking a lot about my mum and her strength, I've been reminiscing on the times we've spent as a family and how she has kept my dad part of my life," he wrote.

"This dance is for my mum, it's for anyone who's lost someone… and it's for all the strong mothers of the world who deserve our recognition and appreciation."

Terri also took to Instagram to express how honoured she was to be Robert's pick for dedication week.

"I'm incredibly honoured that Robert thought of me. Steve and I always talked about how much it meant to us to be parents. So much love. This will be a special night," she wrote.

The Irwin family have had an incredibly emotionally charged week, revealing a few days ago that their dog back home, Stella, had been diagnosed with cancer.

"I wanted to give an unfortunate update on my sweet little pup, Stella," he wrote on Monday.

"A mass was discovered that ended up being cancerous. We still don't know the full extent of the cancer.

"I have faith she'll be in the clear. She is such an important part of our little fam, so it's been stressful to say the least, being away from home and away from her while she goes through this."

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