What would you say to twins who don’t share the same skin color? In case you didn’t know, Maria and Lucy Aylmer made headline news in 1997 for being the world’s first rare bi-racial twins with diverse skin color. No hanky panky here on the part of mommy, it was all because of an unusual play of genes that ended up in either child expressing the physiological nature of each parent who were of mixed race.
Parents Donna who is bi racial and half Jamaican and Vince a Caucasian were happy to be expecting their twins in 1997. However, they got the shock of their lives when the twins were finally delivered, one dark skinned and one totally fair.
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Both babies looked healthy and beautiful but were not in the least identical in any way. They were unique and attracted huge attention of everyone. In fact, they generated quite a stir where people wondered bemusedly how on earth such a thing could be possible.
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These are all early photos of the wins Maria and Lucy. While Donna and Vince have long since separated (one can’t imagine why), the twins are very much part of the couple’s lives. Below is a photo of their toddler years.
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Donna 49 works in a warehouse while Vince 55 is a professional scaffolder. Donna is bi-racial being half Jamaican while Vince is Caucasian which could explain the reason of the twin’s diversity. Doctors have explained how couples similar to Vince and Donna could have children like the bi-racial twins resembling each parent ion this case one black child and one white child.
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Science explains that while twins are born for one egg with identical features, Lucy and Maria are fraternal twins whom had a separate egg at conception. Lucy is the light skinned girl with blonde hair while Maria has caramel tones with beautiful brown hair. They aren’t in the least freaks because both girls are extremely beautiful as you will see later how they look at 18.
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Lucy has light skin and blond hair, while twin Maria has caramel tones with lovely brown hair. Both girls are curly heads with bright, beautiful smiles. According to Lucy, her mother was speechless when two extremely different looking babies. One can imagine what Donna might have thought at the time, either the nurse was drunk and couldn’t see the difference or they had mixed up her kids.
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Donna would always dress the kids in identical outfits which would invite stares as to how come two girls of diverse background were dressed like sisters. But that fact never really bothered Vince and Donna. However, as they grew older, the girls disliked it and wanted to wear their own choice of clothes.
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Donna feels that Lucy has inherited the features of her grandmother who was an Englishwoman. Lucy also has blue green eyes while Maria has soft dark brown eyes however; she disliked her unruly curly hair. Lucy also admitted she was bullied at school because the kids would call her a ghost and would insinuate that she was adopted. Both kids faced immense peer pressure at school.
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The girls lived through life with the stigma of bi racial twins and always leaned towards the family who provided them immense support. Lucy always looked for comfort from Maria.
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They may not have looked like twins externally but believe it or not, both girls shared shadow pain when the other was hurt. As they grew older, Lucy went from being blonde to ginger. She also began straightening her curly wavy hair. Maria kept her hair in ringlets and always wore them with finesse and flair.
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When they reached seven they stopped dressing alike and as you can see both have a keen sense of fashionable dressing. They both have separate characters and identities and are going to college.
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At 18 the girls look gorgeous and both have distinct styles of their own. While Lucy prefers the rocker girl look and loves her piercings while Maria likes to dress more soberly. “I think if we’d looked similar or even identical, then the bond between us would have been stronger when we were younger,” Lucy admitted.
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It seems that both girls have been blessed with beautiful features as you can see and regardless of the diversity, they are sisters and will always remain that way.
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Maria said she was more outgoing than Lucy which is a stark contrast from how they dress. Maria says she loves meeting people and isn’t afraid of approaching people while Lucy is yet to break out of her shell completely. Lucy reveals that she is terrified of strangers. “But Maria and I had such different personalities, too. She was the outgoing twin whilst I was the shy one.”
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Now as adults the world’s first bi racial twins admit they feel closer than ever and are the best of friends. Lucy is studying art at Gloucester College, while Maria is pursuing law at Cheltenham College.
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