Frankie Essex reveals her twins were conceived SIX days apart
FRANKIE Essex has revealed her twins were conceived SIX days apart – which is why she thinks they look different.
The mum-of-two, who is famed for her time on The Only Way Is Essex, welcomed her twins Logan and Luella last year.
Frankie, 35, gave birth to her non-identical twins last June – and has now revealed she believes she has worked out the reason they look so different.
She explained that during her initials scans, one of the baby's looked to be developing faster than the other.
But it was actually said to be down to the fact that Luella was "six days behind" her brother, and had been conceived almost a week later.
Speaking to , Frankie said that she "fell pregnant twice" as the babies came from separate embryos.
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"Some boy and girl twins can look like each other in that you can tell that they’re brother and sister, but Logan and Luella don’t look alike at all," she said.
" I think it’s because they were conceived at different times.
"When we went for our eight-week scan, Logan had a heartbeat and was a full embryo and Luella had just got her heartbeat. She was six days behind him.
"I was already pregnant and then I fell pregnant again… I think that's why the twins are so different."
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Non-identical, also known as fraternal twins, can be conceived up to 24 days apart in a phenomenon called superfetation.
The rare occurrence happens when a second pregnancy from a second fertilised ovum implants days or weeks after an initial pregnancy.
While doctors still don't know exactly why this happens, a spike in reproductive hormones is thought to be a key player.
Babies born by superfetation are considered to be twins as they are usually born together on the same day, despite the up to three-weeks difference initially.
There are a handful of documented cases of it happening in people, with a French study in 2008 documenting only 10 cases worldwide.
Frankie also revealed that she kept her twin pregnancy a secret as she "could have just ended up with Logan";.
The star explained that her nurse explained she shouldn't "get excited" in case one of the twins didn't make it.
"Luella had just got her heartbeat at eight weeks, but she might not have made it," Frankie said of her decision to wait until after a 25-week scan to announce the pregnancy.
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It comes after Frankie, who welcomed her twins with Luke Luv, 32, revealed son Logan underwent "terrifying" surgery.
She been through a "terrifying" ordeal with five-month-old Logan's shock health problems.