'Soulmates' Russell Crowe & Late Crocodile Hunter's Wife Terri Irwin To Marry

Russell Crowe has finally convinced Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin's widow to marry him! And Terri Irwin's kids with TV's late Animal Planet hero — Bindi, 18, and Bob, 13 — are all for it, sources reveal!

"This has been long overdue," an insider told RadarOnline.com. "Even Bindi's been pushing for them to get together. He's like a father figure to her."

"Russell's become a part of the family since Steve died," added the source.

A close pal of Steve, Aussie Crowe became a rock for Terri and her kids after the TV legend's tragic 2006 death off the Great Barrier Reef .

As RadarOnline.com recently reported, a new secret autopsy indicates the death of Steve, 44, may have been a cover-up. But since his passing, devastated Terri said she'd never find a man to replace Steve in her heart — and swore not to marry again.

"I think for other people who have lost someone and have loved again — it's a beautiful thing. But it's just not really on my horizon," she said.

But the stunning blonde and Crowe, both now 52, kept getting closer — especially after his marriage to Danielle Spencer, mom of his sons Charlie, 12, and Tennyson, 10, crashed and burned in late 2012.

More recently, Terri's neighbors noticed a shirtless Crowe romping on the bedroom balcony of her home.

But Terri still resisted the idea of remarrying.

"They've been flirting and skirting around each other for years, but Terri's a hard nut to crack," said the insider.