Sam Vanderpump has quietly married his pregnant fiancée Alice Yaxley in an intimate ceremony at Chelsea Registry Office, choosing love and commitment after one of the darkest years of his life.
The Made In Chelsea star, 28, and model Alice, 24, said “I do” on Sunday afternoon surrounded by close friends and family, before marking the occasion with a luxury dinner. The couple, who are expecting their first child together, plan to host a larger wedding celebration in May 2027, once they have welcomed their baby boy, due in February.
Alice looked radiant in a plunging ivory gown that proudly showed off her growing bump, later admitting she had suffered an “absolute nightmare” trying to find a dress that fit comfortably. Sam, meanwhile, cut a dapper figure in a white tuxedo, black bow tie and red boutonnière as he held his new wife’s hand.
Insiders described the ceremony as small but deeply emotional. One source said it felt like “the start of our marriage,” adding that Sam had always told Alice that life with him would never be boring — a promise he has certainly kept.
The wedding comes just months after Sam was hospitalised with liver and kidney failure that escalated into life-threatening sepsis. In January, doctors warned he had narrowly escaped death. Last month, he revealed on Made In Chelsea that he had been diagnosed with irreversible end-stage liver disease, with a life expectancy of four to five years without a transplant.
Born with rare conditions — congenital hepatic fibrosis and polycystic kidney disease — Sam explained that his health problems lay dormant until last December, when his organs began shutting down. The news was delivered in a brief NHS letter, a moment he later described as paralysing. Opening it alone at home, he learned he was being referred for a liver transplant assessment, admitting that his “heart stopped” and his “tummy dropped”.
The diagnosis became even harder to process because Alice had just discovered she was pregnant. Sam confessed that fear overwhelmed him, saying the thought that terrified him most was whether he would live long enough to meet his son. His own father died seven years ago, and the idea that history might repeat itself left him shaken.
Sam has since spoken openly about his condition to raise awareness about sepsis and the urgent need for organ donors. However, he admitted the intense media attention following his disclosure triggered a breakdown. Headlines suggesting he had “four or five years left to live” deeply distressed him, leaving both him and his mother emotionally shattered.
He revealed that it was his aunt, Lisa Vanderpump, who helped pull him through. The reality TV icon, who became a pillar of support after Sam’s father died, urged him to stay strong for Alice and their unborn child, giving him what he called “a kick up the backside” when he needed it most.
Despite the fears, Sam remains hopeful. He has stressed that liver transplants are highly successful and insists he fully expects to be there for his son. “I’m healthy now,” he said, adding that while the road ahead is uncertain, he believes he will live a long and happy life.
The couple have already chosen a deeply meaningful name for their baby boy: Marmaduke, to be shortened to Duke — a tribute to Sam’s late father. Due on Valentine’s Day, their son will arrive at a time that symbolises love, resilience and a new beginning for the newlyweds.
