Episode 58: The Freefall: The Survival Story of Vicky Cilliers

Some stories feel like they could only exist in fiction — twists so shocking, betrayals so calculated, and survival so unlikely that it borders on impossible. In our latest episode of Super SUS, we explore the extraordinary true story of Victoria “Vicki” Silliers, a woman whose life became the center of one of the most chilling domestic betrayal cases in the UK.

On the surface, Vicki’s life looked like something steady and promising. She grew up in Edinburgh with a close, loving family and spent her childhood dreaming of a future filled with horses and adventure. Life took an unexpected turn when she discovered skydiving at 17 — a thrilling hobby she assumed she’d return to someday. She couldn’t have known it would later play a role in saving her life.

As she built her career in physiotherapy, Vicki found herself drawn back into the world of adrenaline and discipline when she joined the military. Skydiving became more than a hobby; it became a craft she excelled at. Somewhere along the way, she met a charming patient recovering from a skiing accident — a man named Emile Silliers. Their romance took off at full speed, the kind of intensity that feels flattering in the moment but later reveals itself as something far darker. What Vicki initially experienced as devotion would eventually be exposed as manipulation.

The deeper their relationship grew, the more the cracks began to show. Emile wasn’t the man he pretended to be. His past held secrets — affairs, financial wreckage, and a pattern of behavior that painted a much more troubling picture. By the time Vicki began to recognize the toxic undercurrents, she was already emotionally entangled and trying to hold her family together.

Then came Easter Sunday, and the skydive she believed would be a fun, reconnecting moment. Instead, it became a nightmare. When both her main parachute and reserve failed, Vicki plummeted to the ground in what should have been a fatal fall. Only her experience as an instructor — and a series of improbable landing conditions — kept her alive.

And survival was just the beginning.

The investigation that followed uncovered a trail of evidence pointing directly toward Emile. Sabotaged parachute lines. Disturbing behavior. Financial motives. Even a tampered gas valve at home. Piece by piece, a horrifying picture emerged — one that suggested the man she trusted had attempted not once, but twice, to end her life.

The trial that followed exposed Emile’s double life and manipulative control in a way even Vicki never imagined. And despite everything she endured — physical trauma, emotional betrayal, and the weight of public scrutiny — she lived. And then, she chose to speak.

Today, Vicki’s story is one of survival, clarity, and the strength it takes to break free from psychological abuse. Her memoir, I Survived, shares the long road to healing and the courage it took to reclaim her life for herself and her children.

In this episode of Super SUS, we look at the layers beneath her story — the red flags, the manipulation, the courage, and the terrifying realization that danger isn’t always loud or obvious. Sometimes it's hidden behind charm, routine, and the people closest to us.

If you’ve ever wondered how well you really know the people in your life, this is an episode you’ll want to hear.