Rosie and Ruby Formosa look sweet and fragile like all four–year-old girls preparing for their first day at school. But these two are tough cookies, surviving a five-hour operation that separated the conjoined twins at birth.
The girls appeared on Good Morning Britain with their mum Angela and were a massive hit with viewers who have since tweeted about how adorable they are.
One wrote: “2 little miracles making there mum very proud x amazing story very heartwarming x good luck with school girls you'll love it xx”
And another: “lovely little girls & devoted with a proud mum.”
Angela talked of her “emotional journey” since discovering the girls had a low chance of survival due to how they were conjoined at the abdomen.
The emergency surgery was performed at Great Ormond Street Hospital only two hours after the twins were born in 2012.
Angela explained: "It was a hard time, it still makes me feel emotional.
"They were tiny going off for their surgery. It's been an eye-opener, bringing up two babies and for them to have lived...it's just a joyous moment."
Dr Joe Curry, who now looks after the girls, added: "Yeah, it's great to see the process and the results of what we do."
The girls head off to primary school next month – a milestone that parents Angela and Daniel thought might never come.
Angela previously told the Mirror how scared she’d been throughout her pregnancy: “At 16 weeks, they sent me to King’s College Hospital, where they found the connection between the girls.
“I was already worried they were monoamniotic (where twins share an amniotic sac) and conjoined was the worst outcome.
“I was really scared and upset because I was told there was a high possibility that the girls wouldn’t survive the pregnancy.
“If they did survive the pregnancy, they might not survive the birth, then they might not survive surgery.
“They couldn’t tell what was connecting them. I didn’t prepare to bring them home. It wasn’t until they were in hospital and they’d had their operation that my husband started getting everything ready for them at home.”
We’re thrilled the girls are thriving and still share a special bond.
Want to help Great Ormond Street Hospital? Share your Back to School moments with the #backtoschool and give £3 by texting SCHOOL to 70020.
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