Made In Chelsea star Sam Vanderpump has revealed he initially declined his mother’s offer to donate part of her liver, fearing the impact his life-threatening illness would have on her. The 29-year-old is battling end-stage liver disease, a consequence of rare conditions including congenital hepatic fibrosis and polycystic kidney disease, necessitating a transplant for his survival.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Vanderpump explained his initial reluctance. "That first kind of instinct that my mum had, and other members of my family and friends, was ‘we want to help you, we want to’, and my first reaction is, ‘no, I’ve got this illness, why would I want to subject a loved one to this disease?’" He confirmed to presenter Susanna Reid that his primary concern was the potential for complications during his mother’s donation process.
However, new information has prompted a shift in his perspective. "You’ve hit the nail on the head. As we’ve learned more, and you learn a lot more in the documentary, that actually the risk to a live donor is so minimal that they would only accept 20 per cent of live donors that would volunteer, because the absolute amount of testing they go through to make sure that there are no risks," he stated. Vanderpump highlighted the safety record in the UK, adding: "And testament to that, in the UK, we’ve had no fatalities from live donors, so it was something I learned recently, and that’s what started to turn my head to maybe accepting and maybe looking into this idea."
His wife, model Alice, who appeared alongside him, disclosed that Vanderpump’s brother is currently undergoing tests to assess his suitability as a live donor. The couple welcomed their first child, Marmaduke, earlier this year, a factor that significantly influenced Alice’s view on the donation.
Alice described it as "hard to hear" her husband reject his mother’s offer, but acknowledged she could relate to his feelings. She elaborated: "I could also relate, because I’d feel the same if I was in his situation, but because we were expecting a baby, it then changed my perspective even more. Because you do think about the worst-case scenario sometimes, and you try not to hold on to that thought, but you have to make decisions in the moment that will (be good for your family). If I ever looked back in the past and thought, ‘oh, we didn’t look at an option that could have helped Sam’, and something went wrong, I would have really hated myself for it."
Beyond his reality television appearances, Vanderpump manages finance companies in both the UK and Dubai and previously pursued a career as a racing driver. He is also the nephew of Lisa Vanderpump, renowned for her roles in The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills and her spin-off series, Vanderpump Rules.
Vanderpump’s journey will be further explored in Made In Chelsea: Sam Vanderpump’s Story, airing on E4 at 9pm on Tuesday.
