Made In Chelsea's Sam Vanderpump was seen fighting back tears as his doctor told him his battle with end-stage liver disease is set to worsen in an emotional new documentary. The reality star, 29, let cameras follow him on his journey towards a life-saving liver transplant, while becoming a husband and father, in the new E4 series Made In Chelsea: Sam Vanderpump's Story.
The first episode, which aired on Tuesday night, showed Sam and his family as they visited the doctor to get the latest on the TV personality's worsening condition. Sam became seriously ill with flu in late 2024, developing sepsis and suffering liver and kidney failure, and was later diagnosed with irreversible end-stage liver disease, putting him on the transplant waiting list.
While Sam was born with two rare conditions, congenital hepatic fibrosis of the liver and polycystic kidney disease, it wasn't until his illness battle that they caused serious complications when his organs began to shut down. The new dad, who welcomed first child Marmaduke with wife Alice Yaxley, 24, in February, has been given a life expectancy of just four to five years without a transplant.
Doctor's Devastating News
In the first episode of the documentary, viewers watched on during the emotional moment Sam was told that his condition was set to get worse. The doctor told Sam that his liver looked enlarged and had large amounts of bile building up due to the health abnormality that he already had before falling unwell.
Sam told the cameras: 'So congenital hepatic fibrosis, the way I would explain it in layman's terms would be a normal liver is a smooth filter which filters people's bloods. My liver isn't smooth. It's quite bumpy and the fibrosis and it's got a cyst in it and essentially struggling to filter the blood. And that disease has progressed over 28 years, which has obviously led to the inevitable.'
Sam was then told by the doctor: 'You've obviously known this diagnosis for a long time. You've had three episodes when you've been hospitalised with cholangitis (a bacterial infection of the bile duct system). Those are serious complications because some of those infections can really push you from looking like you do now, where I wouldn't necessarily know you have an end-stage liver disease, to being in hospital with organ failure. We're not talking about if you will need a transplant, we're talking about when you will need a transplant.'
Sam looked to be struggling to hold back his emotions as the doctor concluded: 'This is not going to get better, it's going to get worse.'
Family Support and Tough Decisions
Discussions then turned to Sam's options, which saw his mum, Simone, offer to give a portion of her liver in a 'live donation', which would then regenerate into a full liver inside Sam's body. 'No, I don't want to do that,' Sam could be seen saying as he became glassy eyed during the appointment, adding: 'In the politest way possible, shut up, mum. Yes I can get a transplant, but both roads are horrific. One road is a go on the waiting list, and I have to probably get ill to go up the list so I can get a donation from a deceased donor, or I have to be willing to accept an organ from a loved one.'
He later told Alice: 'I don't know what to say, I don't know what I expected. I think I've gone into information overload. It makes me feel sick, I don't want to put my friends or family through a liver surgery as well. Could you imagine, I go in for a liver transplant, and I wake up and my friend or family member has died on the table? I don't want to live with that.'
Sam Reflects on a Tough Year
Earlier this year, Sam took to Instagram to declare 2025 the 'toughest but best year' after tying the knot with then pregnant Alice, amid his battle with end-stage liver disease. Sam shared a slew of snaps of special moments from 2025, including his wedding and a photo of Alice's bump, as he thanked family and friends for their support throughout his 'hard' year.
In a lengthy caption, he penned: 'This has been one of the toughest years of my life but also one of the best, and I wouldn't change a thing. If you know me, you know I'm one of the most optimistic and excitable people you'll ever meet, so with that in mind, thank you 2025 and bring on 2026, we got this! The photos I chose all mean something to me because they're about the people I'm with and how they've supported me, helping make a hard year into something really special. And the people who've been there aren't limited to these photos or these incredible memories. I'm so lucky to have such incredible people around me. Thank you, truly. I love you all.'
Wedding and New Baby
In February, it was revealed that Sam and Alice had welcomed their first child, Marmaduke, a favourite name of Sam's late father, Mark, who died in 2018 at the age of 59. Alice gave birth at the Kensington Wing of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on Monday, 9 February, just two months after they tied the knot. In spite of the uncertainty, Sam and Alice chose to prioritise love and decided to marry while he was well enough, ahead of welcoming their baby boy.
Opening up in an interview, as the couple shared new photos of their big day, Sam admitted the emotional strain of the past year weighed heavily on him. He told HELLO! Magazine: 'I was struggling emotionally in the weeks leading up to the wedding because of everything going on with my health. But I have been so over the moon happy these past few days.'
The wedding was arranged within four weeks and was followed by a dinner at The Lanesborough. The couple opted for a low-key approach, choosing Alice's dress together and deciding against traditional elements such as a first dance and extended speeches. The newlyweds plan to host a larger celebration in May 2027, after welcoming their son.
Sam popped the question to Alice in March, after he was hospitalised in January with liver and kidney failure that developed into life-threatening sepsis. The star candidly revealed how he feared he would die before getting to meet his son after first being told he needed a liver transplant to save his life. Sam, whose father passed away seven years ago, went on to explain how his thoughts went straight to his unborn child, saying: 'I always get sad when I think my dad's never going to see his grandchild. To now start having that thing dawned on you. Am I going to see my child? That's terrifying.'
Made In Chelsea: Sam Vanderpump's Story continues tonight on E4.
