UK's first ever double hand transplant patient feeling 'whole again' and is looking forward to holding a beer and riding a bike (photo)

The first person in the UK to have a double hand transplant is now looking forward to holding a bottle of beer and wearing shirts with real buttons again, the Daily Mail reports.

Chris King, 57, lost both his hands - except the thumbs - in an accident involving a metal pressing machine at work three years ago.

Now, he has become the first person to have both hands replaced and only the second to have a hand transplant in the UK. 

Recovering after the surgery at the UK's specialist centre for the operation at Leeds General Infirmary, he said: 'I couldn't wish for anything better.

“It's better than a lottery win because you feel whole again.” 

Pub landlord Mark Cahill, from Yorkshire, became the first person in the UK to have a hand transplant in 2012 - performed by the same surgeon as Mr King.