Warwick Davis has revealed he gathered his family to say goodbye to his wife when she was battling a life-threatening condition.
The television presenter's wife, Sam, was diagnosed with sepsis back in 2019, and had to undergo emergency surgery in order to save her life.
Sepsis affects the body's immune system and can be fatal if not treated quickly.
Warwick recently opened up about the minutes before she was taken into the operating theatre, when he and their two children, Annabelle, 25, and Harrison, 19, feared she may not pull through.
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Speaking to the Sun, the 52-year-old said: "Our family gathered by her bedside; although optimistic, we were sort of saying goodbye in case Sam didn’t survive."
He went on: "The next few hours were the longest of my life as I waited on the ward with our children in the empty space left by Sam’s hospital bed.
"I hoped it would not symbolise a future for us without her."
Sam's health took a turn for the worse before the family were due to set off on holiday.
At first, the 51-year-old thought she was just tired, however, as her symptoms got worse, the family called in an out-of-hours doctor to see her, and she was rushed to hospital.
"By now, Sam was feeling absolutely terrible. She was becoming drowsy, weak and hadn’t been to the toilet in over 24 hours," recalled Warwick.
"Fortunately for us, our doctor recognised Sam’s symptoms and told us to head to A&E immediately with a suspected case of sepsis."
Thankfully, Sam made it through the operation, with Warwick caring for her as she recovered at home.
But even to this day, Warwick says Sam is still not the same.
He said: "I broke down every night thinking that this terrible illness that came out of nowhere might take my soulmate away from me.
"To this day Sam still feels the effects of sepsis and some PTSD from her experience. If I’m completely honest, I do too.
"We never take life for granted now, living each day as if it were our last.
"I appreciate and cherish every moment that Sam and I spend together."
He added: "It’s so hard to see someone you love more than anything in the world fighting to stay alive without the strength to even roll over in bed.
"Doctors told me the infection had ravaged every cell in her body causing depletion to vital vitamin and mineral levels."
He has now urged others to get help as soon as possible if they begin to feel unwell.
Writing on Twitter the actor said: "I hope her story will stay with someone which will in turn save a life. In these times, when someone’s poorly, it’s automatic to think Covid but please don’t overlook sepsis."
Dominic Smithers