Made In Chelsea star Sam Vanderpump has addressed online trolls who have been telling him to 'buy a new liver,' explaining why such a suggestion is impossible. The reality star, 29, was hospitalised with kidney and liver failure in December 2024 due to a genetic liver condition, leading to life-threatening sepsis. In October 2025, he revealed he had been diagnosed with end-stage liver disease and given only a few years before his liver would cease functioning, necessitating an urgent transplant.
Throughout his health journey, which has coincided with becoming a father to his son Marmaduke with wife Alice, Vanderpump has been open about his struggles. In November 2025, he had to shut down trolls accusing him of exaggerating his condition. Now, he has debunked another persistent myth: that his famous aunt, Lisa Vanderpump, could simply purchase a liver for him.
Calling it a 'crazy question,' Vanderpump passionately explained: 'I think where the confusion comes from here, because it has been asked so much, is yes there is private medical care where you can pay for the treatment around organ transplants, but you can't buy organs. The HTA – Human Tissue Authority – makes sure that doesn't happen. It would open up a whole black market for organs.'
What is End-Stage Liver Disease?
End-stage liver disease (ESLD) is the final stage of liver damage, where the liver is so scarred and damaged that it can no longer function properly. This irreversible condition results from chronic liver diseases such as advanced cirrhosis or acute liver failure. Symptoms include fatigue, jaundice, swelling, confusion, and abdominal pain. Treatment may involve a liver transplant if liver function is severely compromised. Without a working liver, a person cannot survive.
In a recent E4 documentary, Made In Chelsea: Sam Vanderpump's Story, he opened up about his specific condition: congenital hepatic fibrosis. 'My liver isn't smooth. It's quite bumpy and the fibrosis, it's got a cyst in it and [is] essentially struggling to filter the blood. And that disease has progressed over 28 years, which has obviously led to the inevitable.'
Why He Speaks Out
Vanderpump explained his decision to publicly share his health condition: 'I've had moments like right now where I've gone, should I have just not spoken about it? But the reason I'm speaking about it so loudly is that there are currently 8,000 people in the UK waiting for organs. That number can drastically come down if everyone confirms their decision on the NHS organ donor register.'
According to the NHS, most livers for transplantation come from deceased donors, but living donation is also possible. Currently, 3 in 100 liver transplants in the UK are from living donors, mostly for children. The average wait time for a liver transplant is 5 to 7 months, though patients can shorten this by accepting a higher-risk liver.
Vanderpump emphasised the importance of registering as a donor: 'The reason for this is that when that time comes, and someone's organs are viable for donation, if someone hasn't recorded their decision, their family opt out 50% of the time. We can increase that to 90% if we confirm our decision today.' He concluded: 'I don't know how many lives are lost every year, but it shouldn't be measured like that. If we can save one life every year I think it's worth it.'
Recalling the moment of his diagnosis, he told the Daily Mail: 'I thought I was going to die. I didn't think my body could cope, and that was the scariest thing. It was terrifying. I remember the doctor saying to me that I was going into liver and kidney failure. I burst into tears. My mum didn't react badly, you would expect her to be in complete meltdown, but she didn't want to scare me.'
After marrying his partner in December, he welcomed his son Marmaduke two months later.
