A gaunt-looking Rachel Chandler yesterday pleaded again for western authorities to rescue her and husband Paul from pirates who have held the couple for more than three months.

The 56-year-old, who thinks her and her husbands death are only days away, said hfer captors were not treating them well.

Misses Chandler was given permission to speak by her Somali captors after the couple was granted access to by a doctor and a French news crew.

The frail woman, who is being kept apart from her husband, said: “I’m old, I’m 56 and my husband is 60 years old. We need to be together because we have not much time left. I need to be with Paul. We are husband and wife.”

She added that they needed to be together since took car of each other.

Hailing from Ken tin The United Kingdom, the couple were taken captive on October 23 while sailing their boat — the Lynn Rival — on a journey to Tanzania from the Seychelles.

The Britons captors have threatened to kill the couple unless their ransom demands were met.

Britain’s Foreign Office has confirmed they won’t follow the pirates’ demands.

Mohamed Helmi Hangul, the physician who examined the pair said that Misses Chandler was not doing well both mentally and physically. He husband Paul apparently suffers from some kind of cough and fever.

Dr Hangul said that Misses Chandler is sick, anxious and suffers from insomnia, added that her main problems appear to be of a mental nature, appearing to be easily confused.

She apparently continuously asking for her husband and appears disoriented.

The pirates were warned by the surgeon that the couple needed to be taken care of else they would surely die.

The hostages are being kept captive somewhere between the village of Elhur and the town of Amara.

 According to hostage negotiator and clinical psychologist Dr James Alvarez, the prirates are clearly trying to put pressure on the outside world.

Britain’s Foreign Office said they were closely monitoring the events and would attempt everything to secure the couple’s release.