Don’t Worry, There’s No Pressure On Little Bindi Irwin

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Irwin family’s manager, John Stainton, insisted that Steve Irwin’s 8-year-old daughter Bindi will not be forced into the spotlight during her tour of the US. The pint-sized girl who is set to play in the 26-part "Bindi, the Jungle Girl" series on Discovery Kids network, later this year, will make her television debut with a row of public appearances on American televisions. "My criteria is if Bindi doesn't want to do it that day, if she wants to go to the zoo or the beach, then that's what we're doing," Stainton told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "That is the priority, it's what she wants to do." Bindi Irwin will address the National Press Club in Washington, as well as appear on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “The Late Show” with David Letterman. "If she decides she doesn't want to do the Letterman Show, which tapes at five o'clock in the afternoon, if she's tired or she doesn't want to do it, there's no pressure on her to do anything at all," Stainton explained. Bindi who will travel to America Thursday in order to promote her new TV series, “Bindi, the Jungle Girl,” and to be part of Tourism Australia’s G’Day USA Week, will attend a number of television programs, perform with the Wiggles entertainers and join Russell Crowe at a gala dinner. Prime Minister John Howard does not receive as much exposure and red carpet treatment when he visits the US as the Crocodile Hunter’s little girl. "America is so excited for Bindi to come here," said Annie Howell, senior vice president of US TV network Discovery that . "She'll be welcomed with open arms and rightly so. "She's a very special child." Critics all over the world accused Bindi’s mother and Steve Irwin’s widow, Terri Irwin of pushing her daughter into the show business limelight, and said she is too young for that. "There's no pressure on her to do anything at all," Stainton said, but added that Bindi was already too tired to meet with the media. Initially, she was supposed to come alongside her father who died on September 4 after a stingray's serrated barb pierced his heart during the shooting for a documentary off Australia's northeast coast. Now she will be flanked by her mother Terri, Mr Stainton, and Australia Zoo director Wes Mannion. "This next week, for her (Terri), is going to be harder than for anyone because there will be a lot of interviews... they tend to dwell back on stuff that's really going to be sensitive and that always makes her upset because after that event she sort of goes backwards," Stainton said. "... You can't keep reliving it, reliving it without it hurting." Bindi has been performing her show already to thousands at Australian Zoo's Crocoseum. "That's what her dad did for the last three years, he went over every year and did that and he did a big show," manager John Stainton said.