Who Is Sue Aikens From Life Below Zero and Is She Married to Michael Heinrich?

Sue Aikens (born July 1, 1963) is a 60-year-old American TV personality and producer who is mostly known for her role in Life Below Zero, a documentary TV show that captures her life in the wild.

For years, she has amassed quite a lot of fans through the show and they admire and appreciate her doings. The renowned TV personality is unarguably a very inspiring character. The extraordinary survival skills, courage, and endurance she displays in Alaska motivate many. Viewers have seen Sue battle with poor weather conditions, wild animals, and the likes.

Sue Aikens has rightly picked the interest of the public as fans are interested in more facts about her personal life. Read this article to find out more about the survival queen and the man in her life.

Sue Aikens' Profile Summary

  • Birth name: Susan Aikens
  • Nickname: Sue
  • Date of birth: July 1, 1963
  • Age: 60 years old
  • Place of birth: Chicago, United States of America
  • Zodiac sign: Cancer
  • Nationality: American
  • Hair color: Blondish-grey
  • Children: Three
  • Spouse: None
  • Occupation: TV personality and businesswoman
  • Social media: Facebook and Instagram

Sue Aikens Was Born in the United States of America in 1963

Aikens was born on the 1st of July 1963 in Mount Prospect, Chicago, Illinois USA. She is presently 60 years old. Susan Aikens spent her early life in the urban area of Chicago alongside her parents until she clocked 12 years old. It is presumed that she is the only child of her parents, as she has never mentioned any sibling. In 1951, while she was 12 years old, her parents divorced and she had to keep living with her mother. Susan has not revealed what caused the divorce between her parents as she was too young to fully apprehend what was going on at the time.

Susan’s mother decided for them to settle in a small village located 80km north of Fairbanks in Alaska, one of the largest cities in the state. But their combined living did not last long as her mother abandoned her right there in the small village within Alaska.

Right from that moment, Susan Aikens was left all by herself and she had to adopt Alaska as her permanent residence. She learned to survive all by herself from a very young age, as responsibilities came heavy on her. Susan also revealed in an interview that she learned to fly an airplane. The condition she grew up in toughened her up and it was what facilitated her fame on the screen.

Aikens Featured in Two TV Series Before Life Below Zero

It is only recorded that Susan Aikens attended Lowell Whiteman School, but further information about her education is not disclosed to the public. She was a subsistence hunter in Alaska and strived to survive, even under harsh weather conditions. Eventually, she was noticed by producers who have worked on several documentary reality TV series. Before she started appearing as the main cast in Life Below Zero, Susan had debuted in other reality television series. Some of the TV series are:

  • Sarah Palin’s Alaska

It was aired in 2010 on the TLC Network, and hosted by Sarah Palin, a former Alaska Governor.

  • Flying Wild Alaska

The series was made between 2011 and 2012 and was aired on the Discovery channel. The two TV projects changed her life because her popularity began rising exponentially, and so did her net worth.

Sue Began Appearing in Life Before Zero in 2013

Susan’s big break came forth in 2013 when she was hired to feature as the main cast of the TV documentary series, Life Below Zero, produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The show premiered on the 19th of May and it has been on the National Geography Network ever since. She appeared alongside nine other Alaskans in the series and since the inception of the show, she has gathered a lot of fame from people. Despite her age, she undergoes a lot of challenges in the wild and overcomes them.

The Show is Currently in its Tenth Season

The show got its name from the zero conditions people are made to live in. Their lives are usually about daily struggles, trying to survive in the harsh, freezing atmosphere of the secluded state of Alaska. Life Below Zero illustrates the seasonal and daily activities of people who make efforts in living in the most remote areas of the world. Ever since its inception in 2013, it has garnered a large fan base, and the show is currently in its 10th season.

Although her income from the previous series is not known, she currently earns about  $200,000 annually from Life Below Zero. 

Sue Aikens Once Filed a Lawsuit Against BBC Producers

In February 2017, Sue filed a lawsuit against the producers of Life Before Zero, on the basis that the contract was producing emotional stress for her. She was forced to film in dangerous places regardless of her safety. It was becoming unbearable for her, hence the lawsuit. Due to her complaints and legal issues with BBC producers, some of Sue Aiken’s fans have called her to leave the show. However, she has not outrightly made any statement regarding leaving the show as she continues to promote Life Before Zero on her social media pages.

She Owns A Tourist Camp

Sue has guest-starred in various TV shows like Access Hollywood Life, The Joe Rogan Experience, Today, and Fox and Friends. She earns quite a lot of money per episode on these shows. Apart from being a TV personality, Sue is also the owner of Kavik River Camp. The camp provides various activities such as fishing, hiking, hunting, exploring, and many more. It is located near the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and helps tourists who seek adventure.

Aikens Is Currently Engaged To Michael Heinrich

Michael Heinrich
Sue Aikens with Michael Heinrich image source

Sue Aikens did not give up on love despite having an eventful history in that respect. She has presumably rekindled love in her life again. According to her social media accounts, she is engaged to Michael Heinrich, a New York native who works as a journeyman electrician for Local #3 IBEW, a labor union based in Flushing. According to rumors, the pair met on Instagram at the beginning of 2020 and have been dating ever since. However, his Facebook profile suggests that they’ve been in contact since 2018 at least. She has been open about their relationship as she constantly shares pictures of them on social media. The couple maintains a long-distance relationship, evident in one of her posts captioned;

 “You have to stop and make time to give a moment to your sweetie. Long distances can be tough, but we both make it work.” 

Sue Aiken Has Been Married Three Times

Sue has done well to separate her personal life from her work. She has not revealed much about her marriages or information about her private life. It is however known that she was married thrice and it ended pretty badly on every single occasion.

The Popular Wildlife Star’s First Husband Died From Brain Tumor

The Nat Geo star’s first husband allegedly died from a brain tumor. Other details regarding her marriage to him, the length of the marriage, and death are not known to the public.

Unfortunately, Her Second Husband Passed Away Too

After the death of her first husband, she went ahead to marry Eddie James. The pair’s marriage lasted about 17 years before they ultimately separated and divorced in 2004. Eddie worked as a barber in Portland, Oregon, while he was alive. He eventually passed away in 2009. The cause of his death however is not known. Their marriage produced three children – a boy and two girls.

Her Third Marriage Ended Awkwardly

She was married for the third time but this was short-lived. Her husband made the decision to elope with a young woman, leaving Sue high and dry. It has indeed been an eventful love life for the tourist camp owner.

Sue Aikens is a Mother of Three

Sue Aikens
Sue Aikens with her grandchildren image source

Regarding her children, she has kept them away from the public’s eye as much a possible. It is only known that she has three children. Their names, ages, and whereabouts are not known to the public. However, she recently shared a picture of herself at her son’s wedding which establishes that he now has a family. Rumors also reveal that her daughters are married and have children of their own, making Sue Aikens a grandmother as well.

However, Sue Aikens shares no child with Michael Heinrich. The couple met each other at a relatively advanced age which makes it harder to plan for kids. There have been no talks of possibly adopting, meaning they are fine with being together alone.

Key Facts:

  1. Who is Sue Aikens? Sue Aikens is a popular TV personality, producer, and entrepreneur. She is the lead cast of Life Below Zero, a National Geographic Channel documentary TV show that captures her life in the wild, in Alaska.
  2. Where was Sue Aikens born? She was born on July 1, 1963, in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
  3. How did Sue Aikens end up in Alaska? Sue Aikens’ parents separated when she was young, and her mother took her to Alaska at around age 12. She later learned to survive on her own when her mother withdrew from her life.
  4. What TV shows has Sue Aikens appeared in? Sue Aikens has appeared in several TV shows, including The Joe Rogan Experience (2009), Sarah Palin’s Alaska (2010), Flying Wild Alaska (2011), Fox and Friends (2014), and she is most known for being the lead cast of Life Below Zero.
  5. Has Sue Aikens ever left Life Below Zero? Despite filing a lawsuit against the Life Below Zero producers in February 2017, claiming her contract gave her emotional stress and endangered her life by making her film in hazardous scenes, Sue Aikens has not left the show.
  6. What is Sue Aikens’ net worth? Sue Aikens’ estimated net worth is $500,000. She makes about $4,500 per episode of Life Below Zero.
  7. Is Sue Aikens in a relationship? Sue Aikens is currently in a long-distance relationship with Michael G. Heinrich, a journeyman electrician based in Flushing, New York.
  8. How did Sue Aikens lose weight? Sue Aikens shed around 75 pounds (34 kg) in 2020 by committing to a healthier lifestyle, which involved regular exercise.
  9. Did Sue Aikens have any significant injuries? In 2007, Sue was attacked by a bear at an isolated Kavik plane refueling station, which resulted in tears around her hips and bit marks on her skull. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she also had spinal surgery.
  10. Where does Sue Aikens live? She lives in a remote area of Alaska, almost 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, while her boyfriend lives in New York.
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