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'I lost 4st to save my husband's life'

Seven months ago Closer told how Samantha Lamb was faced with the daunting task of losing 3st so she could save her husband’s life.

Andy was in desperate need of a kidney transplant but doctors refused to operate on perfect match Sam as, at 18st, she was at risk of suffering complications.

In a bid to help Sam, 37, Closer gave her a healthy-eating plan, and after dedicated dieting and exercise she actually dropped 4st.

Her kidney was successfully donated to Andy last week and the couple are now recovering at their home in Ivybridge, Devon, with their daughter Beatrice, three.

Sam went from dress size 22 to 16, says: “I’m so glad I was able to help Andy and I couldn’t have done it without Closer!”

Andy, who’d suffered kidney problems since he was two, was told he needed a new donor kidney in July last year. He’d received one aged 28, but it had stopped working and he was put on dialysis three times a week.

Incredibly, 5ft 6 Sam was a match, but at 18st doctors said she was at risk of infection.

She says: “I’d never been good at dieting, so I was terrified I’d fail to lose weight.” But Closer’s nutritionist Juliette Kellow devised an easy plan to help her.

Sam, who was advised to reduce her BMI from 40 to under 35, says: “She gave me a realistic diet with proper family meals, like lasagne and roasts. I’d have toast or cereal for breakfast and pasta or salad for lunch. I stopped getting takeaways and went from 4,500 calories a day to 1,500.

“I also started going to the gym six times a week to do cardio. My body shape improved but I also had more energy.”

Remarkably, Sam lost 4lbs a week. She says: “Knowing I was closer to saving Andy was the incentive I needed to beat cravings.”

By August, she’d shed 4st and her BMI was 31, but the op was delayed until 20 October after she and Andy caught flu. “We told Beatrice we were going to hospital to make Daddy better,” says Sam.

 After Sam’s four-hour op to remove her kidney, surgeons operated on Andy for three hours. Sam says: “I was so happy when I was told it was a success.”

The couple were reunited two days later. Sam says: “I was stunned by how well he looked. His yellowing eyes had turned bright white and he was smiling broadly.”

Sam was allowed home the next day, but Andy was kept in for monitoring until last week. Andy, who works for a removals company, should be able to return to work within the next three to six months.

Sam says: “We’ll take it easy but there’s no reason why we can’t live until we’re 90 now!”

And she insists she won’t relax for too long as she’s now hooked on exercise. She says: “I’ve worked hard to get here, I won’t let it go. I’ll also continue to eat healthily.”

Andy adds: “At first I was worried about Sam donating her kidney, but now we’re looking forward to a great future together.”

For your own Closer Diets plan, log on to www.CloserDiets.com!

By Natalie Corp