A WOMAN originally from Cockburnspath has seized the chance to meet the donor who saved her life on ITV show This Time Next Year.

Laura Regan received a bone marrow transplant in 2015 from an anonymous stem cell donor after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Laura said that she thought about her donor often, adding: “I knew it wouldn’t have been easy for him, having to re-arrange their life around the transplant.”

The 24-year-old was discovered by the ITV show This Time Next Year through her blog, in which she records the stages of her recovery.

They filmed her saying that she would find her donor and they would appear on the show together a year later – which she did.

The donor was a 29-year-old doctor named Simon Bird, and to her surprise they ended up living close to each other in London.

“The first thing I did when I got Simon’s details was to look up his address on Google Maps," Laura said.

"It turned out that he lived just three miles away!

“Every one of my friends told me I would be in tears; but on the night, I couldn’t stop smiling.

"Simon was everything I’d hoped and imagined in real life and I was just so grateful to him for what he’d done.

“We were both keen to do the show to raise awareness for the Anthony Nolan Charity, who had helped me find a donor in the first place."

Following filming, the pair have kept in touch. Laura said: “We’ve been out for drinks. We’re both in long-term relationships, and Simon and his partner have invited me and my partner over for dinner. We’ve become close.”

The episode, hosted by Davina McCall, will be aired tomorrow (Tuesday) at 8.30pm.