What happened to Andy on 'Life Below Zero'? Reason behind his disappearance revealed

After re-joining the cast of National Geographic's Life Below Zero in 2019, ardent viewers of documentary TV series were glad to see Andy Bassich return in action in Eagle, Alaska. Andy has been one of the most popular stars of the documentary and his sudden exit from the series for six months had left many wondering what happened to Andy on Life Below Zero. Upon his return, fans were taken by shock to see the 63-year-old using crutches on the show. So, what really happened to him? Read on to find out everything about his six-month hiatus from the National Geographic docuseries. 

• (Image credit: National Geographic YouTube)

Here's what happened to Andy on Life Below Zero

Andy Bassich had suffered a lethal hip injury while living in the Eagle city of Alaska. After making a comeback on Life Below Zero, Andy opened up about the accident in the docuseries and said, "I've been gone for six months due to a really bad hip injury." He continued, "Couldn't get the treatment I needed in Alaska so I headed down to Florida to get the treatment I needed and spent the last six months with my girlfriend Denise."

Andy Bassich also added, "I ended up with two infections — one in the muscle, one in the bone — and it almost killed me." The Life Below Zero star further explained, "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." Andy concluded by saying, "It's going to be challenging to get everything done using crutches."

Along with his injury, viewers were also quite interested in learning more about Andy Bassich's girlfriend, Denise Becker. When he was first introduced in the docuseries, Andy was married to Kate Rorke. However, they parted ways back in 2015 and she went on to live in Canada. Following their split, he has been dating the Florida-based trauma nurse, who also readily agreed to hang with Andy in the wilderness of Alaska.

 IMAGE: A STILL FROM LIFE BELOW ZERO YOUTUBE