AFTER less than two years of marriage Robin and Diana Cavendish faced an uncertain future following a devastating diagnosis.

The couple were living in Kenya in 1958 when Mr Cavendish, a fit 28-year-old former captain in the King's Royal Rifle Corps, contracted polio and was left paralysed from the neck down.

Confined to bed and facing spending the rest of his life attached to breathing apparatus in a hospital the couple instead fought for him to come home, eventually settling in Drayton St Leonard, and becoming pioneering advocates for the disabled.

New film Breathe, starring Andrew Garfield and Oxford School of Drama graduate Claire Foy, tells the extraordinary story of the couple.

It has been brought to life by actor Andy Serkis, in his directorial debut and the couple’s only son Jonathan, a producer known for his work on Bridget Jones' Diary.

Mrs Cavendish, who still lives in Drayton St Leonard, revealed she was initially reluctant to see her story turned into a film, saying: “Jonathan first told me he was thinking about doing it about 10 years ago and I was rather hoping he wouldn’t to be honest despite it being a lovely script by writer Bill Nicholson.

"It wasn’t until they started casting and filming last summer that it sunk in that it was really going to happen.”

On Foy and Garfield, who play the couple, she said they were ‘tremendous’ and met with her several times as research for the film.

The 83-year-old added: “They really were fantastic, and I like to think we became friends. For Andrew it was such a difficult role but they both played it so well.”

Asked what it was like to see her life portrayed on the big screen, she said: “Robin passed away in 1994 and it all seems such a long time ago now but, though I may be biased, I think they have done a very good job.”

She added the film, which has been praised for having the ability to make audiences laugh and cry, is true to life, saying: “It was horribly depressing and sad when Robin contracted polio but there was so much fun in our lives as well.

“I hope people take away the message that in spite of overwhelming odds it is possible to make a good life for yourself.”

Mr Cavendish, who received an MBE in 1974, worked with Oxford University's Professor Teddy Hall to develop a wheelchair with a built-in respirator, eventually persuading the government to fund a series of chairs and helping to transform the lives of disabled people.

Breathe was released in UK cinemas on October 27.