Bindi Irwin's participation on ABC's Dancing With the Stars was more than just a fun experience: It ended up affecting her life greatly.

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Irwin took home the Mirrorball trophy at the end of the latest season of Dancing With the Stars, having won the hearts of the judges and America. Her hard work, dedication and positive attitude made her one of the most popular contestants in the show's history.

While Dancing With the Stars is usually a career building exercise or a fun side project for many celebrities, for Irwin it was almost therapeutic. The animal lover spoke with The Australian Women's Weekly (via People) recently about how it helped her find closure with her father, Steve Irwin's, death.

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"It changed my life, because I was able to close those chapters that I'd never really been able to close before," she admitted. "It really gave me an opportunity to say, 'Okay, I can be at peace with it, and I'm okay.'"

Bindi spoke of how it helped get rid of the anxiety she used to feel about losing her mother and brother.

"It was really bad when I was younger, now I just have this sense that I want to protect them, so it's always 'be safe' and 'I love you,'" she said. "When your superhero dies, that's really scary. The strongest person has been taken away, so what about everyone else?"

Bindi has returned home to Australia where she helps run the Australia Zoo with her family.

Dancing With the Stars returns for another season on Monday, March 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Tags: Dancing with the Stars Reality TV ABC