Made In Chelsea star Sam Vanderpump has described 2025 as the most brutal yet beautiful year of his life — marrying pregnant co-star Alice Yaxley while quietly facing the reality of irreversible end-stage liver disease.
For Sam, this is no longer just a story about illness — it is about time. Friends say the newly-wed is painfully aware that every milestone now carries extra weight, as he comes to terms with the possibility that these could be the final chapters of his life.
The 24-year-old reality favourite tied the knot with 24-year-old model Alice in an intimate ceremony last month, just weeks before the couple are due to welcome their first child, a baby boy, on Valentine’s Day.
Behind the smiles lies a devastating medical battle. In late 2024, Sam was struck down with flu which spiralled into sepsis, leaving him with liver and kidney failure. Doctors later confirmed he had irreversible end-stage liver disease and he is now on the transplant waiting list.
Taking to Instagram, Sam shared a collection of deeply personal moments from 2025 — including wedding snaps, Alice’s blossoming bump, a glimpse of their sonogram and pictures with family and friends who have supported him throughout the year.
“This has been one of the toughest years of my life but also one of the best, and I wouldn’t change a thing,” he wrote.
“If you know me, you know I’m one of the most optimistic and excitable people you’ll ever meet — so thank you 2025 and bring on 2026, we’ve got this.”
He added that each photo symbolised the people who helped transform his darkest year into something meaningful:
“They’re about how I’ve been supported, how a hard year became something really special. I’m so lucky to have such incredible people around me. Thank you, truly. I love you all. And most importantly, my wife @alice.vanderpump.”
In private, Sam has been telling those closest to him that he already feels like both a husband and a father — even before holding his baby in his arms. A friend revealed: “He just wants the chance to see his son born. That’s all he’s thinking about now.”
The couple recently gave their first interview since marrying, with Sam admitting he had been “struggling emotionally” in the weeks leading up to the wedding.
“I was struggling emotionally because of everything going on with my health,” he told HELLO! magazine. “But these past few days, I’ve been so over the moon happy.”
The wedding was organised in just four weeks and followed by a quiet dinner at The Lanesborough. The pair chose a low-key approach, skipping a first dance and long speeches, instead planning a larger celebration in May 2027 once their son has arrived.
Alice walked down the aisle with her father Jason in a white silk and lace gown, while Sam wore a white jacket with black trousers.
“I was very nervous and very emotional,” he said. “Alice looked absolutely stunning.”
Sam proposed in March, shortly after being hospitalised in January when liver and kidney failure developed into life-threatening sepsis. In November, he revealed on Made In Chelsea that he had been diagnosed with irreversible end-stage liver disease, with doctors estimating his life expectancy could be just four to five years without a transplant.
He was born with rare conditions — congenital hepatic fibrosis of the liver and polycystic kidney disease — which lay dormant until last December when his organs suddenly began to shut down.
The couple announced they were expecting a baby boy in September and have already chosen his name.
On the We Need To Talk podcast, Sam recalled the moment he discovered he needed a transplant.
“I got a notification on the NHS app while Alice was at work,” he said. “It was a short letter saying they were sending me for a liver transplant assessment. Your heart stops. Your stomach drops.”
Fighting back tears, he admitted: “Fear. Terrified. Am I going to die?”
With his own father having passed away seven years ago, his thoughts went immediately to his unborn son.
“I always get sad thinking my dad never got to meet his grandchild,” he said. “And then you start wondering — am I going to see my child? That’s terrifying.”
The couple are due to welcome their baby boy on Valentine’s Day — a date Sam finds deeply symbolic. He has told friends how much it would mean to see his son arrive on a day defined by love, believing that Alice will one day tell their child just how deeply he was loved from the very beginning.
Now, married, waiting for a transplant and counting down to Valentine’s Day, Sam is no longer just fighting for his own life — he is fighting for a moment he has dreamed of since the day he learned Alice was pregnant: to look into his son’s eyes, even just once.
