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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Jenny Kleeman

‘It’s super weird, super odd, super rare’: meet the twins who have different dads

Headshot of twins Lavinia (on left) and Michelle, who had different fathers. April 2026
Lavinia (on left) and Michelle: ‘I had my sister. It was her and me against the world.’ Photograph: Alice Mann/The Guardian

I like being a twin. It defines who I am,” Lavinia Osbourne tells me on the 49th birthday she shares with her sister, Michelle. “It’s amazing to have a twin and have a built-in friend for ever,” Michelle says. “I’ve been really blessed to go through this journey with someone else.”

Lavinia and Michelle know that those of us who haven’t shared a womb with a sibling can be fascinated by twins: their similarities, how they differ, whether there’s any kind of mysterious synergy between them.

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