Strictly star Kym Marsh shares snap of lookalike secret sister as she pays heartwarming tribute

STRICTLY star Kym Marsh took to Instagram on Saturday to pay a heartfelt tribute to her rarely-seen sister in honour of a special occasion – her birthday!

The 47-year-old shared a snap of herself with her lookalike sister and thanked her sibling for being her "hero".

In the snap, Kym was seen pouting at the camera as she cosied up to Tracey as they showed off their likeness.

She captioned the post: "Happy birthday to the best sister ever!!! @traceyjanemarsh My darling you are the most incredible woman, You are so strong, but you don't know how strong you are! You are so kind and loving, but the biggest bad ass B*tch I know!

"You make me laugh so much and I love when we share silly stories and in jokes that only we get...."silly lectures".... "Lucy who? Lucy nation you remember her"..."hello Jean.. It's gone off!!!

"Sorry no one else will get these but we do!!! My sister, my friend, my hero, I love you with all my heart always!!! Happy Birthday you wonderful woman!!!"

The post comes just days after Kym announced her beloved dog had died.

The former Coronation Street actress shared a sweet snap of her pet pooch on Instagram to announce the sad news.

She said: "Had to say goodbye to our beautiful boy Barney. We will miss you so much mate.

"Best dog ever. My heart is broken."

Kym was flooded with a slew of supportive messages from her followers.

Her BBC Morning Live co-star, vet Dr James Greenwood, commented: "Sending you so much love darling, it's the hardest and worst part. You're an amazing dog-mum and a true animal lover."

Kym went on to thank the vet for "all your support today" in a heartfelt reply.

She said to James: "Thank you so much James. This is beautiful. Thank you for all your support today too.

"Really needed it. He will be with Oliver now."

Oliver was a puppy Kym had to re-home in 2010 after he did not bond with her other pets.