Fresh from her Dancing With The Stars triumphs in the US, Bindi Irwin has claimed one of the most prestigious things in Aussie media – the January cover of Australian Women’s Weekly.

The 17-year-old appears on the iconic cover holding the obligatory piece of Aussie wildlife – in this instance a koala – and reveals all in the accompanying interview about her relationship with wakeboarder Chandler Powell and debunks rumours of an “affair” with her Dancing partner Derek Hough.

“He’s always there to keep me going. He’s a sweet, sweet person,” Irwin says of Powell.

“He’s the first person I’ve met who understands my life: the travel and the work and that real dedication and determination.

“I think that’s why I love him so much; because he ‘gets’ my world.”