19 August 2025
A LIFE In The Wild star ditched her high-flying modelling career for a life in the Botswana desert after being robbed at gunpoint. The Norwegian-born catwalk queen now works as a conservationist, model and bush guide after a huge lifestyle overhaul.
Aleksandra Orbeck Nilssen’s emotional story will feature on the new series of Ben Fogle’s Channel 5 series, which was confirmed last September. The TV presenter and adventurer has been at the helm of the show since it launched in 2013. Now in the latest instalment, Ben, 51, travelled to Maun in Botswana before driving for five hours to meet Aleks and husband Ralph Bousfield. Her journey to Botswana, via Namibia, came after she suffered a shocking attack while walking home from a film set in the Big Apple.
She told the show of feeling “lonely” before her move to NYC yet, addressing the attack, she bravely said:
I was walking home from a film set late at night. I heard these catcalls, which is quite common in New York so I just carried on walking. Then they grabbed me and wanted to get money from me.
While I am digging through my bag looking, I suddenly feel something kiss my forehead. That was a gun and so I was held at gunpoint.
I went from having so much control, then this moment someone takes away all this control. When they realised I didn’t have anything, they just said ‘move’ and left.
I went back to my flat and didn’t really know what to do. I felt like it was a universal b***h slap. And the fact that he said move, it felt like an instruction.
Taking their words literally, she upped sticks to Namibia – where she was offered a job for 13 years. Addressing the way she made the change she said:
I said to myself I’m going to spin the globe and if my finger lands in the ocean I’ll go on a gap year. And if it lands on Norway I can spin again. And if it lands on a country I’ll go there, unless there’s a civil war. And it was Namibia.
Two weeks later, I was on the plane. I had a weird feeling like roots were growing out of my feet. When I arrived it was like ‘I’m home, but I don’t know why’. I was offered a job so I took a bold leap and went all in.
Now she has moved to the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. Her surroundings in the sandy savanna in Southern Africa, are surrounded by lions and leopards. Yet, in the midst of the animals, Aleks has forged strong relations with the indigenous community, setting up a Wisdom Academy for the community. Meanwhile, her husband has created a luxury tourist camp nearby.
Aleks addressed the tough conditions to live and work in and said:
The Kalahari kind of hates you.
Yet she is intent on her mission and added:
I’ve got a job to do on this planet and I’m on a mission and that doesn’t stop just because I fall in love. I met the tribe that I have now been working with for 14 years and realised I had to work with them. They’ve completely saved me, transformed me.
They’ve brought nature to life around me. Could you get a better gift than that?
Off screen struggle
The fresh series comes after Ben revealed how he had a ‘secret breakdown’ last year causing him to burn out. In an emotional update to fans, he explained:
A year ago I suffered a mental health wobble. An episode. A storm. A blip. I don’t know if there is a specific term for it but it was basically a burnt out, break down.
I’ve been on quite a journey since I’ve learnt a lot about my neurological uniquenesses. And I’ve navigated the storm.
Source: https://shorturl.at/gaG3l
