Susan Ruth Aikens, popularly referred to as Sue Aikens, is a famous American survivor, hunter, and reality TV star who rose to prominence for her role on the hit National Geographic reality TV show, Life Below Zero. She was cast alongside other notable adventures like Andy Bassich, Jessie Holmes, Glenn Villeneuve, Chip Hailstone, and Erik Salitan. This set of survivors are tasked with the responsibility of living in extreme weather conditions several miles away from modern civilization, trying their best to survive with limited available resources.
Sue Aikens’ Work On The Reality Series, Life Below Zero
Sue’s appearance in the reality TV series that brought her fame came in 2013 when she was approached by the National Geographic Channel and offered a chance to feature as one of six survivors on its reality TV show, Life Below Zero. She was thrilled by the offer as the show matched her adventurous nature and would also enable her to showcase her survival tactics in remote places in Alaska. Aikens also revealed that the show was not going to force her to do dangerous stunts which most reality adventure series delve into in order to fascinate their viewers nor will she be mandated to use scripts that are ridiculous.
In the following years, she has risen to become the most important cast member on the show and is one of the most famous survivors in the whole of North America. However, her appearance on the show has had its own share of cases of injuries as is common with reality TV shows and in Aiken’s case, she crashed into an ice heave while filming sometime in 2015. She ended up sustaining several broken bones, torn ligaments, and joints, thereby sidelining her for a couple of months.
Although Sue Aikens continues to appear on the show, it was later revealed about 2 years later that she had several issues to settle with the producers of the series. She even went on to file a lawsuit against them with regards to the 2015 injury claiming that they had to put her life in danger in order to cover her accident and showcase the pain she was going through. She also pointed out that while other professionals on the team had better arrangements for their safety, she was not given such privileges.
Despite all the drama, the reality TV star is still very enthusiastic about the show as she often updates her fans on its progress on her social media handles. This reveals the love Sue has for the series and that she actually enjoys what she does irrespective of its challenges.
Her Endeavors Prior Life Below Zero
Although Sue Aikens is very popular as a star from Life Below Zero, the series is not the only project she has been associated with. Back in 2010, she was a part of the cast of the reality series, Sarah Palin’s Alaska – Palin is notable as a one-time governor of Alaska and in 2008, she campaigned for the office of the Vice President of the United States. Sue also featured in the documentary show, Flying Wild Alaska sometime in 2011.
Aside from her work on TV, the explorer has recorded very impressive milestones in her personal life. Sue who was born in the small village of Mount Prospect in Illinois had a normal childhood until 1975 when her parents got separated and she had to relocate to Alaska with her mother. However, this living arrangement lasted a short while as her mother eventually abandoned her to fend for herself.
Having tried basic jobs and finding it impossible to get the hang of them, she moved into a wild wilderness camp which was owned by her grandparents in Alaska, and resided there for 16 years, there, she perfected her survival instincts. Sue Aikens reportedly killed a bear which attacked her back in 2007 even though she sustained cuts on her arms, neck, head, and lips from its attack.
Sue Aikens Has Been Married Thrice
Like most women, Sue Aikens has had her fair lot of romantic sagas having been married thrice in her life. However, undeterred by the crisis in her love life, Sue still maintains a very positive outlook about life which is evident in her boisterous personality. More so, she made it a policy to keep her personal life off the public radar as she considers it her private business. This makes a lot of details about her marriage life a mystery especially with respect to her first and third husbands.
The only information which has been available about her first marriage is the fact that her husband died after suffering from a brain tumor. Asides that, Sue has been silent about who the man was nor has she revealed how they met and when they actually got married.
Aikens’s second marriage which is also the one that she is a bit public about was her union with Eddie James. The pair allegedly got married in 1987 and had a blissful home for 17 years before they separated in 2004. No details have been provided on the couple’s decision to end their marriage but they seemed to remain very good friends even after the divorce; Sue paid tribute to him when he died in 2009.
More so, during their time together, Sue and Eddie were proud parents of two children, a daughter and a son who are grown-ups now and are both married. However, unlike their mother, they are not based in Alaska although they usually pay her a visit with their children, and Aikens loves to share her moments with them on her social media pages.
Little is known with regard to her third husband except for the fact that he abandoned her for a much younger girl while she went on a trip. Although Aikens is yet to get married again, it has been rumored that she is in a romantic relationship with a Michael G. Heinrich, but she has not confirmed nor denied this speculation.