Crikey!, little croc hunter!!

Melbourne, Oct. 17: Late crocodile hunter Steve Irwin’s daughter Bindi has got the backing of her family for her controversial foray into show business.

The eight-year old kid’s grandfather Bob Irwin believes that she will have a "really, really big career".

Reacting to the criticisms about putting too much pressure on the little girl to follow her father’s footsteps, Bob said that Bindi was a "real professional" who enjoyed the spotlight.

Bob also tendered support to Steve’s long-time friend and manager John Stainton, who has come under fire for saying that Bindi will become more famous than her father.

"John Stainton isn't only a friend of mine, he's the person that I would like to guide Bindi through the rest of her career," AAP quoted Bob as telling ABC TV's Australian Story.

"And I think she's going to have a really, really big career. John will work closely with Terri and I think with the two of them, it will be a perfect match," he said.

Bob also said that he and Bindi still spoke to the late crocodile hunter, who was killed after being struck in the chest by a stingray's barb off the far north Queensland coast on September 4.

"I've actually been with her and we've both spoken to Steve and she actually speaks to him like he's there helping her," he said.

On he other hand, Stainton has blasted criticisms that Bindi was being pushed into show business against her will, and said that she will never be exposed to animals that could hurt her.

"I think they (the critics) don't understand that this little girl is very much enjoying what she's doing. She is in control," he said.

"And I think the sort of psychologist or psychiatrists or child counselors or whatever that jumped on the bandwagon and said that it was harmful to her, don't understand the situation whatsoever," he said.

Meanwhile, according to reports, Irwin has agreed to appear in a child safety DVD to help raise awareness to the plight of missing Sunshine Coast teenager Daniel Morcombe. (ANI)