Sarti, 37, had to be rushed to a nearby hospital but his 30-year-old girlfriend suffered no side effects from setting the new record in Vicenza.

During the attempt the couple, one of three attempting the challenge, were not allowed to eat, drink or go to the bathroom and medical teams were on constant standby.

One couple gave up within an hour, the second just over nine hours later but the winning couple carried on and on.

If Guinness confirm their time, they will have beaten the previous record of 30 hours, 59 minutes and 24 seconds set by an American couple three years ago.