Sam Vanderpump joined Made in Chelsea, and nobody expected it to turn into one of the most heartbreaking storylines British reality TV has ever shown. But here we are in November 2025, and Sam’s facing something nobody should deal with at 28.
Born on 8 March 1997 in Camden, Sam Vanderpump’s age is just 28. He’s Lisa Vanderpump’s nephew – yeah, the one from Real Housewives. But Sam’s got his own thing going on in Made in Chelsea, and this past year’s been absolutely brutal.
The Baby News
In September 2025, Sam and his fiancée, Alice Yaxley, had exciting news to share. Photos on Instagram: one of Alice’s scans with white roses, the other of Sam kissing her bump. “Life is full of surprises, but this is the best one yet,” he wrote alongside the photos.
The pregnancy was completely unexpected. Alice has polycystic ovaries, and it is difficult to get pregnant with polycystic ovaries. She told the Daily Mail: “I had missed a period, but I have polycystic ovaries, so it was not an unusual thing. But I took a test to be sure, and it was positive.”
They’re having a boy. Marmaduke, Duke for short. Sam said, “My dad passed, but he always wanted my brother to be called Duke because he believed my brother would one day become Prime Minister, Duke Vanderpump.” Sam Vanderpump’s mum wasn’t keen on the name for his brother Jack, but Sam loves it.
Lisa found out on Made in Chelsea. Her reaction was, “This is great. I couldn’t be happier.” She’s been properly supportive, inviting Alice to Vegas and LA, even calling her “Ally”.
What Happened To Sam Vanderpump
Six weeks after announcing the pregnancy, on 27 October 2025, Sam dropped devastating news on Made in Chelsea. He told co-stars Ollie Locke and Tabitha Willett: “We had a call from the doctors and I’ve got end-stage liver disease. There is no hope of my liver getting better.”
The doctor told him straight: “I wouldn’t be having this call with you if I thought you could make it through the next four or five years.”
Sam needs a liver transplant. Without one, doctors give him four to five years. He’s waiting for a transplant assessment, then he’ll get a pager that’ll alert him when a suitable donor’s available.
Despite everything, Sam tried staying positive: “The way I look at it, I’m healthy now. Hopefully, I remain healthy all the way up until one day they’ll give me a call, and I’ll go in for surgery. And then I wake up and I’ll be healthier.”
What Actually Happened
This didn’t come from nowhere. In December 2024, Sam got really ill. What he thought was the flu turned into sepsis – life-threatening stuff. His liver and kidneys began failing. Speaking to MailOnline in January, Sam said, ‘I was convinced I was going to die. I didn’t think my body could cope, and that was the scariest thing.” The doctors said his liver function was “deranged” and “demonic”.
When his liver stopped working, it affected his heart, pancreas, and spleen. His skin and eyes turned yellow owing to jaundice. His stomach swelled with fluid. Sam Vanderpump’s mum said doctors told her if he’d gone tothe hospital 24-48 hours later, he would not have made it. Alice saved his life, literally dialling the ambulance.
“They told me I was the sickest patient on the ward,” Sam said.
He recovered from sepsis, but then came the diagnosis – genetic liver condition and polycystic kidney disease. The sepsis nearly killed him, but the underlying conditions mean his liver’s not getting better.
His Dad
Sam Vanderpump’s dad, Mark Vanderpump, committed suicide in October 2018. Mark Vanderpump was Lisa’s older brother, a DJ and businessman who had long struggled with his mental health. An inquest found that it was suicide, drug toxicity, though Lisa now believes the overdose was accidental.
Sam was 21 when his dad died. He does have an older brother, Jack. Sam added, ‘My dad died seven years ago, and she’s really come into her own; she was there and has been an amazing support for me and my brother.
On Made in Chelsea, during Alice’s pregnancy scan, Sam opened up. “I just find it really difficult to talk about my dad. I struggle with the fact that my dad’s not going to be there at our wedding, and I struggle with the fact that our child’s not going to know their grandad. It’s very sad – especially with the way he went.”
Lisa appeared on the show after the scan. “He’d be so proud of you now, and so happy. It has pained us every day since he took his life. We’ll never get over that.”
Reality TV Got Real
Sam Vanderpump was approached to join Made in Chelsea twice before, at 21 and 24, but the timing wasn’t right. He finally joined for series 27. Lives in Fulham with Alice. Life looked glamorous on social media – Dubai trips, visiting Lisa in LA. Behind the scenes, though, serious health problems.
Sam Vanderpump’s net worth isn’t publicly confirmed, but he runs his own businesses and comes from the wealthy Vanderpump family. Money can’t buy health, though.
Sam and Alice’s storyline has completely changed Made in Chelsea. Usually, it’s love triangles and posh people rowing at parties. This is real life – scary, heartbreaking stuff.
Viewers have responded massively. One wrote, “I’ve always said cancel Made in Chelsea; it’s not good anymore. But I’m all for them continuing IF they follow real-life topics like Sam Vanderpump’s illness battle and having a baby.”
Another said, “This is one of the most intimate and honest scenes in recent years on Made in Chelsea.”
The NHS Organ Donor account posted: “Our thoughts are with Sam and his family. We hope his courage in speaking out will offer inspiration to others. Sadly, thousands are waiting for a life-saving transplant because not enough people donate their organs.”
The UK Sepsis Trust also sent support, calling Sam one of their “brilliant UKST Ambassadors”.
What’s Next
Sam’s on the transplant waiting list now. Carrying a pager, waiting for the call that could save his life. Meanwhile, Alice is pregnant with their son. They got engaged in March 2025 after just six months together.
Sam, speaking to the Mirror, says he’s not doing well mentally, more than physically. “I’ll feel a pain or grogginess and think, ‘Oh God, am I getting sepsis?’ rather than, ‘Do I have something completely minor?'”
Health anxiety on top of everything else. Waiting for a transplant whilst trying to enjoy his engagement and pregnancy. Grieving his dad whilst preparing to become one himself.
Why This Matters
Sam Vanderpump could’ve kept this private. He’s got money and connections and didn’t need to share his medical situation on national television. But he did.
People are talking about organ donation now and learning about sepsis symptoms and seeing that health problems can hit anyone, even young, wealthy reality stars with seemingly perfect lives.
Sam’s vulnerability on Made in Chelsea has given the show actual purpose. Not just entertainment – raising awareness about serious health issues.
He’s 28, about to become a dad, and waiting for a liver transplant. Alice is 24, pregnant with their first child, watching the man she loves fight for his life. They’re planning a wedding whilst doctors talk about four-to-five-year timelines.
But Sam’s staying positive. He’s got his family, Alice, and his unborn son, Duke. Lisa is supporting him every step. Thousands of people are rooting for him, hoping that the pager goes off soon.
Made in Chelsea has shown loads over the years, but Sam’s story is different. Real in a way reality TV rarely manages. No manufactured drama, no scripted arguments. Just a young man facing something terrifying whilst cameras roll, hoping his honesty might help someone else.
That’s who Sam Vanderpump is. Not just Lisa’s nephew, not just another Made in Chelsea cast member. A 28-year-old fighting for his life, about to become a father, dealing with grief and health anxiety, and an uncertain future. And doing it with courage that most of us couldn’t imagine.
