Parents tell of losing twins

The heartbroken parents of conjoined twins Hope and Faith, who died less than a month after being born, have spoken of how the devastation of losing their girls has brought them closer together.

Now Aled Williams and his wife Laura, of Harlescott, Shrewsbury – the UK's youngest mother of conjoined twins – are trying to rebuild their lives. The couple, with their daughter Carly, have moved to be nearer to Aled's parents, who live in Anglesey.

Faith Williams died of progressive organ failure on Christmas Day at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Her death came nearly four weeks after an emergency operation to separate her from her sister Hope, who died just minutes after surgery as her lungs were too small to support her breathing.

Laura, 18, and her husband Aled, 28, a former binman for Veolia, refused to consider a termination despite doctors warning the babies might not survive.

The couple kept vigil at their daughters' bedside, willing them to fight for survival.

Their plight will be shown in a Channel 4 documentary this week.

Aled told the programme he knew it was going to be tough if the girls, who were born on November 26 last year, did survive.

He added: "But we were prepared to do anything we could and if it meant looking after them for the rest of their lives, that's what we would have done.

"Instead of pushing us apart, we've got closer because we've been through so much in such a short space of time. We could probably take anything that's chucked at us.

"All we did was what we thought was right."

The story of the twins, who were operated on after the girls shared intestine became blocked, captured the world.

Laura told the programme the family were given huge strength by the hundreds of cards, letters and gifts they received from across the world.

• Cutting Edge – Britain’s Conjoined Twins: Hope and Faith will be shown on Channel 4 on Thursday at 9pm.

By Rebecca Lawrence