‘I donated a kidney so my kids can have a dad'

Married At First Sight star Marilyse Corrigan, 37, from Beverley in East Yorkshire, gave a priceless gift to the father of her sons

- AMY DENMAN

''I was a 20-year-old sales assistant when I first started working for a local jeweler, Shaun Bell. He was handsome and his dry sense of humor drew me in. Our sons Callum, now 16, and Josh, 13, made us a happy family of four. Although we were engaged, we never got around to getting married.

Shaun had already been diagnosed with polycystic kidneys – when cysts develop on your kidneys – but it didn’t seem to be an issue. His mum had the same genetic condition but lived a normal life. Shaun went for yearly check-ups and one time he rang from the hospital.

“One day, I think I’m going to need a kidney transplant,” he warned me. I didn’t fully take it in, but I said to him, “Well, if ever that was the case, obviously I would get tested.”

Then we pushed it to the back of our minds.

While Shaun worked hard, I raised the boys, but we drifted apart and found ourselves living separate lives. So much so that by 2012, the relationship was over. Shaun moved out of the family home in Beverley, East Yorkshire, but remained a fantastic dad, having the kids on Wednesday nights and alternate weekends.

Over time, Shaun’s health deteriorated. His kidney check-ups showed their functioning was steadily decreasing. Then, in 2019, he was given bad news by the doctor. “Your kidneys are totally gone now. You need to go on dialysis.”

It was tough. His face was grey and he’d begun urinating blood.

We explained to the kids – then 14 and 11– that when they were staying with Dad they’d see him in bed on a machine every night doing his dialysis. Of course, they were upset. It was awful having them coming home saying, “We’ve been helping