After dating for nearly two years, Rorie Buckley and Robert Irwin have called things off.
They announced the split on Instagram, with a joint statement.
“We wanted to share that we have decided to go our separate ways but profoundly appreciate all of the time spent together and wish one another all the very best into the future,” they posted to Instagram stories.
“We wish to express the gratitude and respect we have for one another as we continue our journeys on different paths.
“We won’t be commenting further on this, and really appreciate your respect and privacy at this time.”
The pair have been dating since November 2022, eventually going ‘Instagram official’ in August 2023.
The pair made their red carpet debut carpet debut in Sydney in July 2023.
The young couple attended the Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning premiere at the International Convention Centre, where they posed for photographs. The 19-year-old conservationist is well known as the son of the late Steve Irwin but Rorie has some famous connections of her own—Buckey, 18, is the niece of late Australian actor, Heath Ledger.
The young couple both looked the part with Irwin in a black suit and Buckey in a long sleeved black dress with a mid-section cut-out. The event also saw Mission Impossible stars, Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg and Hayley Atwell walk the red carpet.
Irwin and Buckey were first spotted together in November 2022, when they were seen cuddling on a Queensland beach. Since then, Buckey has also been spotted sitting with Irwin and his mum, Terri Irwin at the Australia Zoo crocodile show on his birthday.
In late December 2023, it was revealed that Buckey was getting a lot closer to Irwin’s work at the zoo, joining the family business.
“I am honoured to be part of groundbreaking research on crocodiles in remote North Queensland,” she shared in a post on Instagram. “Working with the University of Queensland and Australia Zoo is profoundly rewarding and I am so grateful to be alongside such inspiring individuals. This data is helping to conserve a keystone species and the habitat that supports them!”
Buckey also updated her Instagram profile to read ‘Wildlife Warrior’, the same as Irwin.
Who Is Rorie Buckey?
Rorie Buckey is the daughter of Kate Buckey (nee Ledger) and Nathan Buckey. Kate is Ledger’s older sister, an actress and publicist with whom the late Heath was very close with.
While she keeps her personal life private, we do know that she is an identical twin, with a sister named Scarlett. The pair have always been thick as thieves, with her mum Kate even writing a series of fictional books based on the pair called ‘Twin Magic’.
The twins are now 19 years old, and both attended the same university in Perth, Curtain University. While the pair are both interested in the medical fields, Rorie is studying a Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy, while Scarlett is studying pharmaceuticals.
While we don’t know much about what the family thought of the union, Rorie’s dad Nathan Buckey did tell the Daily Mail Australia that he did approve of her relationship when asked, saying “Of course, absolutely.”
