Robert Irwin "almost died" as a piece of confetti got stuck in his throat on Dancing with the Stars

Robert told Entertainment Tonight: "I almost died tonight.

"I choked on a piece of confetti after the team dance. I went over to Witney, and I think they cut away, and I inhaled a piece of confetti. I couldn't breathe.

"I went over to [Witney] (signialing he couldn't breathe), and then I just went, 'Ugh!' And it just popped out! I'm not even kidding!"

The scary ordeal came after the duo blew away viewers with their fierce Paso Doble to Icky Thump by The White Stripes, for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night week on the ABC Latin and Ballroom dance competition.

The judges - Carrie Ann Inaba, 57, Bruno Tonioli, 69, and 40 year old Derek Hough - were equally as impressed, scoring them 38 points.

But it took a lot of work to get a high score as Robert struggled to temporarily swap his happy and bubbly personality for his serious side.

He said: "It was so hard. It was the hardest week in rehearsal - honestly, the hardest week.

"But I reached the turning point when Witney was like - because I was struggling to get the moves, really struggling, and Witney just goes, 'Do you know what, just get angry with it.' And I'm like, 'I've never been angry in my life!'

"But she said, 'No, it's OK. Just with the moves, just be like you know what, these are my moves, and I'm going to own it.'

"And I was like, 'OK.' So the whole time, I was like - you couldn't hear - but I'm like '(angry noises).'"

Robert - who is the son of late conservationist Steve Irwin and his 61-year-old widow Terri Irwin - described the feeling as that of catching a crocodile.

He added: "That pure respect for the craft, but channelled passion and energy."

And Robert feels grateful to have Witney as his dance teacher.

He gushed: "The amount of trust I feel for Witney is insane. I feel like this little team we've got together has never been stronger, and I'm just so grateful that [Witney] trusts me to take on a new challenge every week.

"It's a dream come true to find new sides to myself."