Sigurd Jonny Hansen, popularly known as Sig Hansen, is an American television personality plus the captain, owner, and operator of Fishing Vessel Northwestern.
He came into the limelight after being featured in Discovery channel’s documentary TV series Deadliest Catch, where he also serves as the consultant and technical advisor. He has been part of the show since 2005, appearing in exactly 231 episodes as of this writing.
In Deadliest Catch, Hansen could be seen tackling through the high seas and catching some big fish. The show also focuses on his personal life and his love for his wife and children. Here is a detailed look!
Sig Hansen and his wife June Hansen have been together for decades
The initial details about how Sig met his future wife, June, are presently unknown. And the same could be said about their dating relationship details. Nonetheless, there are a few details known after the couple shared the wedding vows.
It has been reported that Sig and June got married sometime in 1998. After the two got married, Sig adopted June’s children – two daughters named Mandy Hansen and Nina Hansen – from her previous relationship.
Since then, the family of four has always been together and supported each other in thick and thin throughout all these years. Sig’s adopted daughters are presently married and have children — Mandy has a daughter named Sailor Marie and Nina has a son named Jaxsen.
Additionally, Mandy and Nina could also be seen helping their adoptive father in his profession as a captain and fisher. Both of them have also made appearances in Deadliest Catch, and Mandy occasionally helms the ship as well.
Similarly, Mandy could be flaunting multiple pictures of her parents, Sig and June, via her Instagram handle. Going by all that, it sure seems like the Hansen family has bonded well over the years and is filled with love and happiness.
Sig Hansen’s wife June Hansen had cancer
In a July 2019 episode of Deadliest Catch, Sig received a bad blow while steering his ship — and the ocean had nothing to do with it. He learned that his wife is sick.
Sig received a private phone call from his wife and as he went to receive it, Mandy helmed the ship. After the phone call ended, he told the cameras, “It sounds like my wife has a form of cancer. We do know that this area on her neck is cancer, we just don’t know if there’s more.”
The episode ended with that cliffhanger and in the promo of the next episode, it was mentioned that the father and daughter duo had canceled their plan to gear up north to catch better fish.
Sig Hansen alongside his wife June Hansen at the 2019 Emmys (Photo: AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN)
Mandy said, “Right now we’re waiting for word to find out how bad it [cancer] really is. We were planning on moving our gear up north — we heard there was much better fishing up there. However, because of the bad news, I think it’s best that we stay as close to land as possible.”
In the same clip, Sig then said that though the fishing is good if they went further north, his wife’s health is his priority. “We’re not going anywhere until I know how my wife is. She’s always been there for me, and I will be there for her,” he added.
Afterward, there were no updates on June’s health. But two months after the news was first revealed, in September 2019, a representative for Discovery Channel confirmed that June’s health is normal, she is doing fine and “was lucky to catch it early.”
Later that month, on September 14, 2019, Sig, June, and their daughter Mandy walked the red carpet of the 71st Creative Arts Emmy Awards — Deadliest Catch was nominated for three Emmys under different categories.
And at the event, the three of them looked amazing. As for June, she looked just the way she used to look: normal, healthy, and beautiful.
Sig Hansen shares a child with his first wife
Many of you might not know this but June Hansen isn’t Sig Hansen’s first wife. Before getting married to June, Sig was in a marital relationship with a woman named Lisa Eckstrom.
However, there are little to no details about their relationship and married life. It’s only known that they shared a daughter named Melissa Eckstrom (b. 1988) and the couple’s divorce was finalized in 1992.
After the divorce, Sig’s first wife and biological daughter were estranged. But, his daughter – who is a lawyer now – came into the public’s eye in March 2017 when she sued Sig for allegedly molesting her when she was a toddler — around 2-year-old.
As per the court documents, Melissa mentioned that she battled through several things such as depression, suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, and other traumas. In addition, she claimed that she had vague memories of her father’s abuse.
In reply to his daughter’s allegations, Sig said, “This is nothing more than an old-fashioned shakedown. It’s a completely frivolous lawsuit full of lies that my ex-wife made up to take away my daughter, and still uses to try to extort money from me. It’s blackmail.”
Melissa’s lawsuit against her father was officially filed in 2016 at the King County Superior Court. In 2017, Sig’s attempt to dismiss the case was ruled out by the same court.
In July 2018, the further proceedings of the lawsuit officially began at the state Court of Appeals in Seattle. However, it seems like there have been no further updates regarding the lawsuit.
