'This is a tough one': Robert Irwin shares 'devastating' news about his beloved pug Stella

Robert Irwin is having a difficult week.

On Monday, the 21-year-old wildlife warrior took to his social media accounts to break the "devastating" news that his pup Stellla has been diagnosed with cancer.

In a post shared to Instagram, the Dancing with the Stars cast member wrote a heartfelt message about his beloved dog.

"This is a tough one. I wanted to give an unfortunate update on my sweet little pup, Stella," he wrote.

"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.

"I know you guys love seeing her and I love sharing her with you so wanted to give an update… she is doing ok post-surgery so far, she's my little bestie & one tough cookie."

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Irwin, who is thousands of miles away from his dog in America while competing on Dancing with the Stars, made a TikTok video explaining that they do not yet know if the cancer has spread.

The pug is beloved by Irwin fans, and even has her own Instagram account @stellairwinthepug, with an impressive 137k followers.

Irwin also explained in the video that it is dedication week on DWTS, and he is currently preparing a dance in honour of his mother Terri.

"It's been a really tough week. We've been working on our dedication dance for my mum, which has been beautiful, it's been the most incredible experience," he added in the video.

"Witney [Carson, his dance partner] and I are trying to capture her strength and how she's tried to lift me up through my life.

"We've been working hard and I'm tapping into emotions that I haven't gotten to share before, certainly not publicly.

"I've been thinking a lot about my dad; the highs, the lows, the grief, the ways my mum has helped me navigate that."

He added of the pooch: "Personally, it's been a tough week at well. Our little dog back to home has cancer, which is just devastating... she was found to have a mass that ended up being cancerous.

"She had surgery, she's doing okay post-surgery, we're just waiting to find out if it spread."

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Irwin was met with an outpouring of support in response to his posts.

Sister Bindi commented on Instagram, saying: "She's such a strong and beautiful little soul."

His fans also took to the comments, sending prayers and well-wishes to Stella.

Irwin and his family are all living in Los Angeles as he progresses on the show, with the family rallying around Robert as he dances his way to the mirrorball trophy.

He's partnered with dance professional Witney Carson.

Last week, the pair performed a jaw-dropping Salsa that saw Robert rip his shirt off.

Robert scored a total of 22 points for the performance, placing himself into third place on the leaderboard behind tied first-place duo Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa.

When he made his DWTS debut two weeks ago, Irwin danced to Born to be Wild and got a score of 15 out of 20. 

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