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16 November 2009
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Alex and Ivo

"Aww, hug!" "Stop doing that, huggy boy!"

Alex and Ivo


Early arrivals

Identical twins Alex and Ivo were born 11 weeks early, in February 2000. They live with their parents, Berenice and Alastair, in Glasgow.

Alex and Ivo

When they were born, Berenice was a TV researcher and Alastair worked in film and graphics, a job that required him to be in London at least three days a week.

Alex and Ivo spent more than two months in hospital after their birth and their first year wasn't an easy one for Berenice. She worried she wouldn't bond with them, a problem exacerbated by the fact the twins didn't eat well and seemed to cry day and night.

Settled routine

Alex and Ivo

When Alex and Ivo started to sleep through the night and eat better, Berenice began to feel things were changing for the better. And by the time they were five, they'd settled into routines that worked for everyone.

Physically, the boys are identical - they wear similar clothes and even their teachers find it hard to tell them apart. But their personalities have always been different.


Alex and Ivo

Alex likes his toast cut into squares, while Ivo only eats triangles. Alex likes Bolognaise sauce on its own, whereas Ivo prefers pasta. Sociable Ivo is happy to play with the girls at school, while Alex is more of a boy's boy.

But one thing has never changed - Alex and Ivo like to be together. As they told us, in unison: "We are best friends."


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