A mum was left gobsmacked after giving birth to million-to-one twins with different skin colours. Chantelle Broughton, 29, says she regularly gets asked 'are they both yours?' since welcoming Ayon and Azirah into the world in April.
Son Ayon was born at Nottingham City Hospital with green eyes and fair skin while daughter Azirah has brown eyes and a much darker complexion. Such births are so rare, genetics experts have previously estimated them at one in a million.
Chantelle says she looks white but is mixed race due to having a Nigerian maternal grandad, whereas dad Ashton, also 29, is half Jamaican, half Scottish. The mum-of-three revealed the twins did not look too different from each other at birth but as the weeks went by, Azirah's skin complexion started getting 'darker and darker'.
She says the four-month-old twins now have 'totally opposite' personalities but seem to be getting on well. Chantelle, an auxiliary nurse from Nottingham, said: "I’m so glad they came out the way they are - our own unique little family.
"Azirah was slightly darker at birth but you couldn’t really tell. Now as weeks have gone on she has gotten to the point where she's darker than her dad. Every few weeks friends and family still say they cant believe it.
"Azirah is really laid back and chilled, whereas Ayon was wants a lot more attention.
"He always wants to be rocked and is constantly babbling along. Azirah doesn't do that very often. But I have noticed they are really staring at each other now and smiling more.
"I think they will stay like this. I think their hair will be different too.
"Azirah will have thick and curly hair and Ayon's will be completely different. You can already feel the difference in texture."
Chantelle says the twins attract plenty of attention when they go out and joked she imagines people believe they have separate dads.
She added: "When you’ve got a twin pushchair people seem to notice you more anyway, I think people are gonna think I've had two different kids with two different dads.
"They do a double take and comment on how unusual it is.
"People just stop and say 'oh my god', they just look totally different. I've had people ask 'are they both yours?'
"A lot of elderly ladies stop me and tell me how beautiful it is. A lot of the time people don't want to mention it but when we tell them they say it's crazy as you don't see it very often.
"I wouldn't have it any other way though, it's certainly unique."
