AN Ivybridge couple have told of their year-long journey ending with the wife giving her husband a kidney.

Sam and Andy Lamb, pictured, said the past year changed their lives and made them realise anything is possible.

Their life-altering moments have been captured on camera by the BBC in a documentary; Diet or Die which airs tonight at 10.35pm.

Their story started last March when Sam, 37, burst into Ivybridge Leisure Centre begging staff to help her.

"I need to lose weight, my husband is dying," the mother-of-one told staff.

Andy, aged 41, had suffered renal kidney failure all his life and after his most recently donated kidney had died, his condition deteriorated.

Surviving on weekly dialysis sessions, Andy had no choice but to accept his wife's offer to donate him her organ.

"I never wanted her to do it," said Andy, a father-of-three.

"I spent the next year in fear, waiting for the operation."

Sam was told by doctors that she and Andy shared the same blood group making them the perfect match. But before she could go under the surgeon's knife she had to lose around three-and-a-half stones to get her BMI down from 42 to around 35.

She spent the next four months working out intensively with the help of the whole team at the leisure centre.

But the target of shedding that amount of weight in such a condensed period took a huge toll on the couple's life.

As Andy's condition got worse, Sam was growing fitter and had to focus all her attentions on the goal.

Andy said: "It was like I was on my knees crawling and Sam was shooting off in to the distance. It put a real strain on things. All the limelight was on her while I kept getting worse. But we plodded on through and eventually caught up with each other."

Chris Hubble, fitness manager at the gym, said the feat was a huge challenge for all the staff.

He said: "I saw it as the chance to help save a life and the opportunity to show that no matter how big or unhealthy you are – you can do it.

To this day, Sam insists: "I only did what anyone in my shoes would have done."

Chris added: "I think anyone might agree to do that, but not many would actually make it through."

Since the kidney transplant at Derriford Hospital in October, Andy has returned to full health. The colour has returned to his face and his hands are no longer swollen.

Sam is back to full recovery and has resumed her workout sessions at the gym where she made many friends.

Andy said: "Words can't describe how I feel about what Sam's done for me. If I thought about it too much I could go crazy."

The couple have astonishingly found that they have taken on characteristics from each other.

Sam can now sleep right through the night without having to go to the toilet, while Andy often has to get up and go. Something only Sam used to do.

"At least he knows he's got top quality goods in him," she joked.

Reflecting on the year, Sam said: "It's all been a blur but it's given me huge confidence that anything is possible, and I have my husband. It feels amazing."

She is now thinking of training to become an instructor or a counsellor while Andy is training to become a dog trainer.

Andy added: "It's all behind us now. We'll never forget what we've been through together but we're looking forward to the future and a better life."

Andy sent out a huge thank you to Chris and everybody at Ivybridge Leisure Centre. "Without their help," he said, "I might not be here today."