If you’ve spent any time watching Forged in Fire, you know Ben Abbott. He’s the guy who somehow makes a Damascus steel blade look like a Sunday morning hobby while the rest of us struggle to assemble IKEA furniture. He is calm. He is British (mostly). And he is terrifyingly good with an anvil.
Naturally, when a guy is that talented and stays relatively low-key, the internet starts asking questions. Is Ben Abbott married? Who is the woman behind the blades? Is he still working at a top-secret science lab, or is he just hitting hot metal all day?
The short answer: yes, he’s off the market. But the details of his life are actually way more interesting than just a wedding date.
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The Woman Behind the Forge: Heather Rabun
Ben isn’t just some lone wolf living in a cabin with a pile of coal. He’s been in a long-term, committed relationship with Heather Rabun. If you look her up, you’ll find she’s just as accomplished as he is, though in a completely different world.
Heather is a professional dancer, choreographer, and artist. Basically, she moves with grace while Ben... well, Ben moves with a heavy hammer. It’s a classic pairing of the arts. They’ve been together for years, and honestly, they seem like one of those couples that actually likes each other.
A lot of people wonder if they officially tied the knot. In early 2021, news broke that Ben Abbott was engaged. He even did the most "Ben Abbott" thing possible: he forged his own engagement ring. Can you imagine the pressure? If a world-class bladesmith makes a ring and it has a cold shut or a crack, he’d never hear the end of it from J. Neilson.
The couple welcomed their son, Alden James Abbott, in October 2020.
Life in Pasadena and Beyond
While Ben has that distinct British accent that makes everything he says sound 20% more authoritative, he’s lived in California for a long time. Specifically Pasadena.
Heather actually documented a lot of their journey into parenthood through her blog, Dancin Heather. She talked about the shift from living the Los Angeles artist life to becoming a family. They have a dog named Willow. It’s a very normal, very sweet domestic life that contrasts sharply with the "fire and brimstone" persona we see on the History Channel.
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Wait, Isn’t He a Rocket Scientist?
This is the part that usually blows people’s minds. Most reality TV judges have one thing they’re good at. Ben is a statistical outlier.
Before he was a full-time TV personality and bladesmith, he was an electrical engineer at Caltech. He didn’t just fix circuits; he worked on the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) project.
Let that sink in for a second.
The LIGO team literally won a Nobel Prize for detecting gravitational waves. Ben was part of that world. So when he’s talking about the molecular structure of high-carbon steel on the show, he isn’t just repeating something he read in a manual. He actually understands the physics of why things break.
Honestly, it’s kinda unfair. Most of us are lucky if we can remember where we put our car keys, and this guy is out here discovering the secrets of the universe and making the perfect Bowie knife.
Clearing Up the Confusion: Is He "Married" or Just Partnered?
The internet loves to argue about semantics. You’ll see some sites refer to Heather as his wife and others as his long-term partner or fiancée.
- Fact: They got engaged in early 2021.
- Fact: They share a son and a home.
- Fact: They are extremely private about their actual wedding ceremony.
Whether they had a massive blowout wedding or a quiet courthouse moment doesn’t really change the reality: they are a solid unit. Ben frequently shares glimpses of their life on Instagram, though he usually keeps the focus on the forge. When he does post about Heather and Alden, it’s clear that his family is the priority.
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In fact, Ben took some time away from Forged in Fire around the time Alden was born. Fans were worried he was leaving the show for good. Turns out, he just wanted to be a dad. He chose diaper duty over coal smoke for a while, which is a pretty respectable move.
What Ben Abbott is Doing in 2026
If you’re looking for him now, Ben is still very much the gold standard in the smithing community. He continues to run Ashgrove Forge, where he creates custom pieces that are, frankly, works of art.
He’s also stayed undefeated in the "Beat the Unbeaten" challenges. His record is currently sitting at a perfect 10-0. It’s reached the point where it’s almost a joke—how do you beat a guy who has the steady hands of a surgeon and the brain of a Caltech engineer?
The "Other" Ben Abbotts
Just a quick heads-up for the researchers out there: there are several famous Ben Abbotts.
- The Bladesmith: Our guy. The judge. The LIGO engineer.
- The Politician/Military: You might see obituaries or news for a Benjamin Abbot from Connecticut or Texas. These are different people.
- The Attorney: There is a high-profile attorney named Ben Abbott in the South.
If you see a headline saying Ben Abbott is involved in a major court case or has passed away, check the photo. Our Ben is likely in his garage in California, safely quenching a blade in oil.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're inspired by Ben's story—moving from high-level engineering to a traditional craft—there are a few ways to follow in his footsteps without having to win a Nobel Prize first:
- Check his shop: Keep an eye on Ashgrove Forge. He doesn't take many commissions because of his TV schedule, but when he does, they are heirloom quality.
- Study the science: If you want to understand bladesmithing the way Ben does, don't just watch YouTube tutorials. Pick up a book on metallurgy. Understanding the why of the steel is what sets Ben apart from the hobbyists.
- Support the arts: Follow Heather Rabun’s work as well. Their partnership is a great example of how two different creative worlds can support one another.
Ben Abbott remains a bit of an enigma—a man of few words and incredible skill. He’s married to his craft, yes, but he’s also clearly a devoted family man who has found a way to balance the heat of the forge with a very cool, grounded personal life.