One of the first people to have a bowel transplant in the UK carried the Olympic torch through Welwyn Garden City on Sunday.

Michael Seres, of The Grove, Radlett, said the experience was an “unbelievable honour.”

The 43-year-old was told he had Crohn’s Disease when he was 12, but when years later he was diagnosed with intestinal failure, he was left with no choice but to have a small bowel transplant last year.

The dad-of-three said: “It was a very scary time, the operation was around 12 hours long and I spent three months in hospital. I couldn’t eat and lost the desire to, so had to be fed intravenously.

“My quality of life was non-existent.”

He began blogging about his experiences and was then inspired to set up a charity, Guts in Motion, to help raise money for Crohn’s Disease.

Speaking about his torch bearing experience, he said: “It was a massive boost for me and a great way to put an end to the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on the last few years.

“It was just brilliant. I had tears of joy in my eyes throughout the walk, I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”

He said the experience was more about his three children, Aaron, 16, Nathan, 14, and Lauren, 12, and his wife, Justine, who he has been married to for 21 years.

“It’s been as much a rough road for them as it has been for me, but I was the lucky man holding the torch. Everyone has been so supportive.”

Mr Seres is now recovering from his operation and is learning to eat again. He hopes to restart his job as a licensing and marketing consultant in the near future.

To visit Mr Seres’ blog, visit http://beingapatient.blogspot.co.uk/.