A university dropout who once referred to the work as “slavery” admits to Ben Fogle that she used to be “naive” and now wants to go back to school to train as an electrician.
Annalisa, 28, from Turin, began traveling the world at the age of 19 and earning money by working before settling in Sweden, where she is raising her son Nico, and met Ben Fogel for New Lives in the Wild in 2019.
At the time, the mother of one of the children, who had lived on the street before coming to Sweden, relied on foraging and dumpster diving, had no intention of returning to her native Italy or pursuing a career.
However, after three years, Annalisa admits that her worldview has become “wider”. It also welcomed Ben back to Sweden for Back Into the Wild, which was broadcast on Channel 5.
Viewers were delighted when they found out that the baby’s mother, who is now in a relationship with a man named Odin, said she wanted to train as an electrician.
Annalisa, 28, from Turin, left university at 19 before settling in Sweden with her son, Nico. In 2019, she welcomed Ben Fogel into her home for a new life in the wild. Ben has revisited Annalisa, who now lives with partner Odin, left, for Return to the Wild, which airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 5.
When they are caught, Annalisa explains to Ben that she still relies on canned food and teaches her son the same skills.
The child’s mother has kept busy with projects around her home, including building a tree house for her son using wood from the surrounding forests.
She connected a nearby well to her home for running water, and now has electricity in the house.
She also attached a bicycle to an old washing machine, creating a mechanism that allowed the machine to operate through its pedals.
However, the biggest change is that she is no longer single, and reveals to Ben that she is now with a man named Odin, whom she met six months after the last visit to the broadcaster.
In New Lives in the Wild’s season 10 premiere, Ben travels to Sweden to meet Annalisa (right), a single mom who has left comfort behind for a life of bussing, dumpster diving, and hard work.
Three years after appearing on the show, Annalisa admitted she felt like she was on a sinking ship when Ben first visited her.
Ben posing with the tree house Analisa built for her son Nico, now five, using wood from the surrounding forest
The pair still rely on dumpster diving for necessities, with Odin joking this is one of the first activities they’ve ever done together.
Annalisa admits to Ben that having Odin around helped her a lot.
“I don’t think it would have been very easy to do everything we did here if I had stayed on my own,” she said. “It is much nicer to share a dream than to go like a train, and make your own dream come true, for that I am very happy.
In 2019, Annalisa was filled with disdain for the Italian educational system, having left at the age of 19 despite being a direct student.
But now, she told Ben’s mom that she plans to go back to school to train as an electrician.
Annalisa said she felt at peace and happy in her new life and was grateful for Odin’s help around her plot
The presenter heard how Annalisa’s perspective on life had become “broader” since his last visit
She said she wanted to be trained in how to install off-grid solar systems for people who live remotely.
“It’s not very common and then you can travel all over the world, go to countries that are probably not as rich as Sweden,” she told Ben.
The announcer said he was surprised to see AnnalisaConstantly changing and evolving.
When asked about who will take care of her son when she is at school, Annalisa reveals that Nico attended Kindergarten.
“He now goes to kindergarten, three to four days a week, for four hours,” she said.
I don’t necessarily think the education system is the best thing, so if I find a nice school that works for me, the kind of education I want him to have, than he goes to school, but we’ll see, Ben said.
In 2019, aged 24, Annalisa told Ben she didn’t want to work, calling it “slavery”.
The mother of one of the children admitted that she had thought about her worldview, saying, ‘I’m almost 30 now. I guess I was a little more naive at the time, but it was like, I was still on the hunt trying to survive here with the kid.
“Now that the baby is older, I have the opportunity to do more than just put the pieces together, so I think my vision of what needs to be done or what I want to do with my life is broader than it used to be,” she added.
Ben said he’s happy to see how Annalisa has continued to change and evolve since their first meeting
Annalisa, who dropped out of university at the age of 19, despite being a straightforward student, has admitted that she is open to letting her son Niko go to school if she finds one she can get along with.
While still frugal with their resources, Annalisa and Odin have plenty of plans for their plot of land, including building a bike shed, a solar power system for their barn, a pizza oven, and a hot tub.
“We’ve got no rush but I’m sure we’ll do it all, adding new things all the time anyway, it’s never out of date,” said Odin.
When Ben asks the couple how they will get the money to fund these projects, Annalisa admits that she and Odin do seasonal jobs to get the money.
“We have jobs, we work, not much, but a little bit,” said Annalisa. We’ve both been personal assistants, helping people with disabilities or incurable illnesses, and now I sometimes work in a bookstore, and he works in the harbour.
Annalisa told Ben: ‘When we met before, it used to happen a lot. I was really trying to get my hands on all the vents of the boat that was sinking, I was doing it happily, but it was kind of an emergency,” she admitted.
Now it seems that the boat is no longer sinking. We can think “we are going to sail”. I am more peaceful, there is no urgency right now.
“Annalisa is incredibly smart,” said Ben. ‘I hear her sing, just as I did last time, I get very emotional, because there is a weakness in front of her, but she is more capable than I am. They’re better at electrical, they’re better at construction, they’re better at DIY.
She makes all of this look kind of easy, while being a mom and looking at what you’ve been able to achieve, since you were here last,
Viewers have been happy to see how well Annalisa has fared since Ben’s last visit, with some saying she made the right choices
Viewers have been thrilled to see how Annalisa’s life has turned since Ben’s last visit.
She’s evolved and adapted to this ever-changing palette and now she’s sharing that, not just with her son Niko, but with Odin, and it makes me so happy.
Ben added that he was glad that the mother of one of them had met her match in Odin.
“It just seems to be taking root and I can only see it getting better, better and better and more fun as the years go by,” said the presenter.
One said: “It’s nice to see the quiet, thrifty, contented life that Annalisa has built for herself and her family in Sweden now.”
Annalisa is doing very well, raising Niko as a well-balanced, intelligent boy. How many languages can this little boy speak? I wish her all the best in the world for the future. I have definitely made the right choices in life, wrote another.
Ben Fogle: Return to The Wild is available on My5.
