The twins born minutes apart but with different fathers

"The sisters were conceived naturally, grew in the same womb, and were born within minutes of each other but are technically half-sisters rather than biological twins."

"Heteropaternal superfecundation is an extremely rare phenomenon where a woman produces more than one egg during the same cycle, both fertilized by sperm from different men."

"The findings were revealed on BBC Radio 4 series The Gift, which reports that only around 20 cases have ever been identified worldwide."

"Lavinia told podcast presenter Jenny Kleeman: 'She was the one thing that belonged to me, the one thing that I was certain about...'"

Michelle and Lavinia Osbourne, aged 49, learned through a DNA test that they have different fathers, a rare occurrence known as heteropaternal superfecundation. This phenomenon happens when a woman releases multiple eggs during the same cycle, which are fertilized by sperm from different men. The sisters, conceived naturally and born minutes apart, are the only documented twins with separate fathers in the UK. This discovery is extremely rare, with only about 20 cases identified worldwide, and was revealed on BBC Radio 4's series The Gift.

Read at www.independent.co.uk