Bindi Irwin may have met the love of her life six years ago, but Chandler Powell has loved animals—and the Irwin family—for his entire life. Access Hollywood got an exclusive look into how the lovebirds first met ahead of this Saturday’s episode of “Crikey! It’s The Irwins,” where viewers will get to see first-hand how Chandler set up his elaborate proposal to Bindi.
“I was born and raised in Florida and I grew up watching Steve and Terri’s documentaries,” Chandler said, referring to Bindi’s mother Terri and her late father and famed wildlife expert Steve Irwin. “I was the biggest ‘Crocodile Hunter’ fan. I had my khakis from the time I was four years old and I was always out wrangling snakes and gators and lizards and everything.”
Still, Chandler and Bindi, who was born in raised in Australia, were separated by thousands of miles and likely would never have met had Chandler not picked up professional wakeboarding.
“I became a professional wakeboarder and I traveled on the world series tour. And one stop (was) the Australia Zoo. And just by chance, Bindi was actually giving tours that day.”
WATCH: Bindi Irwin Pens Touching Note To Late Dad Steve After Getting Engaged
Call it chance or fate, but the two animal-lovers were each smitten with the other at first sight.
“My first impression of Chandler? Well, he was holding a koala at the time,” Bindi said of her now-fiancé. “And I was just…honestly, I think if there were literal heart emojis around me, there would’ve been at that moment.”
22-year-old Chandler was similarly taken by Bindi the first time the two met. “We spent the day together being thrown in with all sorts of animals at Australia Zoo,” Chandler said of the fateful day they met in 2013. “And the whole time it was like we had known each other for years on end.”
When Chandler was preparing to propose to the love of his life, he knew he wanted to do it somewhere special. And where better than the place where he and Bindi first met?
Chandler proposed to Bindi in the gardens of the Australia Zoo with a little help from Bindi’s brother Robert, who hid in the bushes to photograph the special moment. But there was never really a question of whether or not Bindi would say yes.
“We both knew from day one that we were just perfect for each other,” the 21-year-old said.
The couple are now in the thick of planning their wedding, which will take place in none other than the Australia Zoo.
To hear more about the adorable couple and their engagement story, tune in to “Crikey! It’s The Irwins” this Saturday on Animal Planet at 8 P.M.
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