'Life Below Zero' Star Andy Bassich Brings His New Girlfriend to Alaska

There is one good thing that came out of Andy Bassich's hip injury — he was able to spend more time with his new girlfriend while recuperating in Florida. 

Denise Becker is a trauma nurse who recently made the move to Alaska with the Life Below Zero star, who is determined to get his home and dogs ready for the upcoming winter. 

However, that is going to be tough, seeing as now Andy is dependent on crutches. "I ended up with two infections — one in the muscle, one in the bone — and it almost killed me," he explained on the show. "It's time to get back to my home in Calico Bluff, play a little bit of catch up this summer with getting my dogs back down there, getting my house back in order... It's been unmanned and unguarded for six months so I have no idea what kind of conditions I'm going to be walking into. It's going to be challenging to get everything done using [crutches]."  

Luckily, he has Denise by his side. 

According to Denise, the couple met two years ago while on a canoe trip in Florida and she reassured viewers she is more than ready to handle life in the wilderness. "I was born in Canada, grew up knowing what hard work was about," Denise explained. "My family homesteaded up in northern Saskatchewan, a farm, which is still an active, hardworking farm. Calico Bluff is full of work, full of great work. Real work that counts at the end of the day." 

Andy, 61, knows he would not be able to move back to his home without Denise's help. "If I didn't have a partner to help me, there's no way I could've come back here and accomplished what I need to do," he added. "The big thing I've got to keep in mind is that I always try to do too much. I've got to make sure I don't do something to hurt myself worse... Right now I just have to downsize my expectations a little bit." 

 And we don't expect Andy to let his injury stop him from surviving in Alaska. "At about age 22, I just had this really deep feeling that I needed to move to Alaska," the Washington native said in an interview. "A gut feeling that told me I needed to go to Alaska. My grandmother just encouraged me to go and live my dream when I was young. I took that advice and moved up here. And I never regret it; I never look back. This is the place I’m supposed to be." 

When we first met Andy on Life Below Zero, he was with his wife, Kate Rorke. However, the couple split in 2015 and Kate is currently living in Canada. 

She recently gave followers an update in a video post, sharing, "It's good to be home. The memories are good, the friends are good, and it's nice to be around people who have known me since the beginning of time it seems as we get older... You guys, you all got me here and you saved my life in a way, so love to you. Over and out." 

So, it looks like both Andy and Kate have moved on and living their best lives. 

Watch Life Below Zero Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on National Geographic.