Bindi Irwin Explains Why She Has Not Changed Her Last Name after Getting Married

Australian television personality and conservationist, Bindi Irwin, opened up about why she decided to keep her last name even after getting married.

Bindi Irwin has chosen to keep using her famous last name despite getting married. The conservationist and her husband, Chandler Powell, got married on March 25, and she has decided not to take his last name.

The 21-year-old revealed the reason behind her decision to keep using her last name in a recent interview with ET's Lauren Zima.

She said, "I think that for me personally, after dad [Steve Irwin] passed away, it was really important for me to feel close to him, and having his last name means so much to me."

According to Bindi's husband, Chandler, they discussed the possibility of changing names; however, Bindi's desire won out, and Chandler does not appear to mind.

The newlyweds gave fans a glimpse of their emotional wedding ceremony, including all the last minute changes they were forced to make amid the COVID-19 pandemic and paparazzi.

Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic sweeping through the world, Bindi and her husband had to make the ceremony a small and private one. Bindi honored her late father on the special day with a picture of him and their late dog, Sue, and lit a candle in his honor.

The famous conservationist added that she was named after Sue, the family dog — she revealed that the dog had been one of the first animals she ever loved.

The couple had been given no choice but to leave the wedding venue to protect the wildlife.

Bindi stated that the photo symbolizes everyone who could not be present for the ceremony.

Since their wedding, the couple has spent their days caring for the animals at the family's zoo in Australia. The loved up pair admitted that they were kept busy even through their honeymoon — not that they would have it any other way.

While the Irwin family has expressed how heartrending it was that Steve could not be there for Bindi's wedding, they joked about what he would have been doing on the special day.

"He would have tackled the helicopter out of the sky," Terri Irwin said, referring to the paparazzi chopper that ruined Bindi's outdoor wedding plans.

According to Bindi's statement on Instagram, the paparazzi had flown over them at the wedding in a helicopter that scared away the wildlife. The couple had been given no choice but to leave the wedding venue to protect the wildlife.

Steve Irwin passed away when Bindi was 8-years old. He died after getting pierced in the chest by a stingray in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Bindi's brother, Robert, had filled in for Steve, walking his sister down the aisle in his place. He has also been staying close to the new couple since the wedding, and he couldn't look happier.