'Deadliest Catch' star Sig Hansen on his heart attack at sea: It was close, like a 50/50 chance!

Deadliest Catch star Sig Hansen has opened up about the heart attack he suffered while filming the show's new twelfth season.


Captain Hansen, 49, suffered chest pains while aboard his fishing vessel Northwestern in early March and was rushed to the hospital to get checked out.

"That was close," Hansen told People. "That was like a 50/50 chance."

The incident began when Hansen passed out and collapsed on the boat's deck while cameras were rolling for the reality series. Once he regained consciousness, he was stubborn about seeking treatment.

"While he wanted to keep going, the crew insisted that they dock to get help," Deadliest Catch wrote on its official Twitter page earlier this month. "He was airlifted to Anchorage, Alaska, and immediately rushed to a medical facility. He is with his family and in good spirits."


Hansen admitted the heart attack itself wasn't the most frightening part of the whole series of events.

"It was actually scarier when you got home and then you realize, 'Did that really happen?'" Hansen told the magazine. "In the moment it wasn't so bad, just made me angry."

The health scare was enough, however, for Hansen to quit smoking cigarettes and eat healthier. Hansen joked about how eating more salads "sucks," but he knows it's important to take care of himself.

The next season of Deadliest Catch will feature newcomer Captain Sean Dwyer, 23. Hansen told People that he has confidence in the youngest captain to ever star on the show, as long as he follows the advice: "Know your role, shut your hole."

Season 12 of Deadliest Catch premieres Tuesday, March 29 at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski