“I’m not the slightest bit interested in it. I am not interested, not the slightest bit. I have had years and years of this stuff,” he said.
When he was asked why he was unwilling to congratulate his granddaughter Bindi, Bob said: “My thoughts have nothing to do with any of it.”
According to New Idea’s source, Terri was saddened to hear the news that her father- in-law refused to pass on his congratulations to Bindi.
She reportedly said it was extremely disappointing Bob could not be “as celebratory as the rest of us”, adding that the wedding would be a great occasion and nothing Bob could say would change that.
Terri added she was thrilled her daughter would be marrying her sweetheart, revealing Chandler had spoken to her before popping the question.
“Yes, he sought my blessing beforehand,” she added.
Bob, who has recently battled poor health, founded Australia Zoo more than 40 years ago, but after Steve died in 2006, he was reportedly concerned about it being overly commercialised. In 2008 he resigned and pledged to “continue Steve’s dream” by other means.
It’s thought Bob hasn’t returned to the zoo for more than a decade.
In December 2015, he told the Herald Sun he wasn’t on speaking terms with his family, explaining, “It’s sad but it’s just the way things are.” Days later, Bindi addressed the issues with the man she still calls ‘Poppy’.
“Everyone deals with grief differently,” she said at the 5th annual AACTA Awards in 2015. “When my dad passed away he chose to distance himself from everything that Dad loved the most.
“At the moment we’re really just respecting his wishes because he hasn’t had anything to do with us for a long time and he decided his own path. That’s important, so good for him.”
The following year during an appearance on Nine Extra, Bob said that he hoped to rebuild a relationship with his grandchildren and when asked whether he missed them, said, “Oh, of course,” adding, “But I do have other grandchildren obviously and I spend considerable time with them.”
Last year Bindi told the Daily Mail her family still support Bob financially, providing him with money, a property, a home and equipment.
She added that they continued to acknowledge him on birthdays and for anniversaries, but that they had never received a reply and that when she was young he’d even returned the Christmas present she had sent him.
“He continues to remain distant. I have come to terms with this,” she explained.
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