Where is Victoria Cilliers now, after surviving her husband's skydive murder plot and second secret attempt?

When Victoria Cilliers, an army physiotherapist, fell around 4,000 feet during a parachute jump, after her equipment was tampered with, those on the ground assumed she was dead – but she wasn't. Tragically, it also wasn't an accident.

The horrifying case – explored in Channel 4 documentary The Fall: Skydive Murder Plot (now on Netflix) – saw Victoria survive what police described as a "miracle" after her husband, Emile Cilliers, sabotaged her parachute. But investigators would later uncover evidence suggesting it wasn't the only time he'd allegedly tried to kill her.

So, what's the full story and where is Victoria Cilliers now?

Victoria had completed thousands of parachute jumps before April 2015 and was considered a highly skilled skydiver. But shortly after jumping from around 4,000 feet, both her main parachute and reserve parachute failed.

She suffered spinal and internal injuries, with officers later describing her survival as "a miracle".

Detective Paul Franklin says in The Fall: Skydive Murder Plot: "Vicky had drifted into a freshly ploughed field. How she survived is miraculous."

Victoria later recalled that, during the fall, all she could think about were her children.

Suspicion was raised almost immediately. After the kit had been professionally packed, Victoria's husband Emile took their young daughter to the bathroom. He emerged a couple of minutes later, but poor weather meant Victoria decided not to jump that day, instead storing her equipment in her locker overnight. She returned the following day and, believing nothing was wrong, completed the jump, but was badly injured as a result.

When police first interviewed Emile Cilliers, an army officer, he spoke for six hours without a solicitor — something officers hadn't expected. During the interview, he admitted having an affair with a skydiving instructor named Stephanie and said he wanted to leave his marriage.

"I don't think Victoria's ever sexually satisfied me the way that I need," he told detectives, complaining that having sex twice a week wasn't enough for him.

Detective Constable Maddy Hennah later recalled that "the hairs on the back of my neck went up" while interviewing him, adding that he attempted to flirt with her.

"He was clearly trying to win me over, using his manly charms on me... He was subtly sinister," she said.

Initially, Victoria told officers she loved her husband and trusted him with her life, and police described her as stoic and someone who was difficult to build an easy rapport with.

But a family friend soon revealed to officers working on the case that the couple's seemingly perfect marriage wasn't all it appeared to be: after seizing Emile's phones, detectives uncovered messages showing he had told his mistress he doubted the paternity of his son, something police established was untrue.

Meanwhile, Victoria was left confused and angry that she wasn't allowed to see Emile while recovering from life-threatening injuries in a back brace and caring for their children.

The following day, officers broke more devastating news. "When we interviewed your husband, he told us that he was having an affair," one detective told her. "In his barracks room, there were no photographs of you or your family. He has been denying that he's the father of your newborn child. It's clear beyond doubt that he is planning to leave you for this other woman."

The officer later described Victoria's response as a "guttural scream".

Before he left, Victoria quietly said: "I suppose you should know about the gas leak."

A week before the parachute sabotage, Victoria had texted Emile to say she could smell gas at their home.

Rather than telling her to leave immediately, she says he replied asking whether she'd checked the stove — something that could have caused an explosion while she and their two children were still inside.

As police continued investigating, Victoria also revealed that Emile had taken "tens of thousands" of pounds from her over the years and had even used her bank cards while she lay unconscious in intensive care after the parachute jump gone wrong.

"My gut initially said there's no way on earth he could do that to me... but honestly I don't know. I love the guy," Victoria told police.

She also recalled confronting Emile after finding a receipt for a dinner for two in his pocket, only for him to accuse her of being paranoid because her previous marriage had ended due to infidelity.

As detectives analysed Emile's phones, they began building a picture of his finances, relationships and future plans. The night before Victoria's skydive, he'd searched online for wet nurses — something police viewed as deeply suspicious. Why would he be looking for someone to breastfeed his newborn, the day before his wife became so injured she wasn't able to herself?

Investigators also discovered mounting debts, multiple affairs and evidence that he stood to benefit financially from Victoria's life insurance. A mental health professional later assessed Emile as displaying narcissistic and psychopathic personality traits.

Although Emile was initially charged with attempted murder, the first jury failed to reach a verdict. Police later admitted they feared Victoria might defend her husband in court because she still wanted to keep her family together — and that's exactly what happened.

During her evidence, Victoria suggested she may have accidentally cut away a functioning parachute herself.

Reflecting later, she said: "I don't think I lied. I think I kept a lot of secrets." Detectives believed she had been manipulated through years of coercive control, and made that a central part of the retrial.

They also uncovered evidence that Emile was posting coded YouTube songs to Victoria and discovered he had fathered two children with another woman in South Africa. Jurors also heard that, after Victoria texted him saying she was struggling with her mental health, Emile contacted an escort for sex. Police alleged he had been paying sex workers almost daily while Victoria remained in intensive care.

Experts explained coercive control to jurors before Victoria gave evidence, helping them understand why she might still appear supportive of the man accused of trying to kill her.

Following Emile Cilliers' conviction in 2018, Victoria has rebuilt her life away from the spotlight. In October 2024, she married fellow skydiver and former Royal Marine, Simon Goodman, nearly a decade after surviving the murder plot. The couple are understood to have met through the same Wiltshire parachute club where Victoria's ordeal began, having known each other for years before beginning a relationship.

Friends described their wedding as a "close-knit" celebration, adding that Victoria "deserves this happiness more than anyone".

Victoria also took part in The Fall: Skydive Murder Plot, a documentary that aired in 2024, reflecting on the events leading up to her husband's conviction and the psychological impact of everything that happened.

Speaking in the documentary, Victoria admits that accepting the truth about her marriage took years. After Emile was found guilty, she said she felt "numb" and "confused", having denied the reality to herself for so long. She was then left with the difficult task of processing the fact that her husband had attempted to kill her — not once, but twice.

Following the retrial, Emile Cilliers was found guilty of attempting to murder Victoria and was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 18 years.

Victoria later visited him in prison, where he continued denying that he had ever tried to hurt her and claimed his affairs weren't as serious as police had suggested. He even asked whether she would consider retiring on a beach with him one day.

For Victoria, however, the years since have been focused on healing, raising awareness of coercive control and rebuilding a life that, against all odds, she survived to live.