Sam Vanderpump is giving audiences a much closer look at his life, as he documents his liver transplant journey in an emotional and truly candid documentary coming to E4.
Across two episodes, the docuseries traces Sam’s health since his near-death experience through to the present day and capture his and Alice’s most intimate milestones – their wedding, the arrival of their baby boy and the unwavering support of Sam’s mum and aunt, Lisa Vanderpump, as well as their tight-knit Chelsea circle.
Early last year, Sam shared that he “nearly died” after liver and kidney failure caused sepsis, caused by a rare genetic condition he was born with, and while recovery was challenging, he was able to lean on his wife Alice Yaxley for support. But Sam was met with a tough setback when he received the news that he will need a liver transplant.
While fans may well tune into Made in Chelsea each week for a dose of Sam and Alice, this documentary captures them in a completely different and more authentic light than many will be used to.
“I think there is a lovely side to the documentary where you actually see a more raw version of Alice and I. And you really meet the real us,” Sam told Radio Times in an exclusive interview.
He continued: “Made In Chelsea is Made in Chelsea for a reason, and we love doing it, but this is raw and unfiltered, so you really get to know us in this documentary.”
Despite being used to the cameras and production crew on Made in Chelsea, Sam admitted that filming this series was “harder” than anything they’d experienced before.
“I think it made us realise how much we take Made In Chelsea for granted,” he said. “It’s a casual filming, Made in Chelsea follows our lives for sure…”
Alice added: “You can’t hide from the cameras [in the doc]. When you’re going through something extremely emotional, there is no hiding.”
The two 60-minute episodes document moments including Sam’s hospital appointments as he sought consultation from the experts at King’s College Hospital, and gained further insight into the reality of waiting lists in the UK today.
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And while such intimate moments aren’t something everyone would want to play out for the nation to see, it was important to Sam that viewers understand the completely raw reality of waiting for a transplant.
“With the documentary, we looked dishevelled 50 per cent of the time,” he told Radio Times. “It’s raw footage, it’s in our home 24/7, it’s at the hospital with me. It’s into the extremely private moments of our lives, Alice when she’s in hospital giving birth to Duke.
“All of these really raw moments, to the point where we probably look horrific half the time on the documentary because we’re so run down, we’re exhausted and we’re emotional. So it was a lot harder, but we’re very proud to have done it.”
Made in Chelsea: Sam Vanderpump’s Story is coming to E4 this spring.
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