'Miracle' Milton Keynes twins become TV stars in new BBC2 drama

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Two toddler twins who had to undergo life-saving surgery while still in the womb are set to take the TV and modelling world by storm.

Wyatt and Finley Wilfort, who will celebrate their second birthday next month, are so identical that even their parents sometimes struggle to tell them apart.

They were snapped up to star as baby Teddy in the four-part drama Life After Life, currently showing on BBC2 and spent six months being filmed all over the country.

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Because a baby is only legally allowed to be on set for one hour at a time, identical twins that can job share are a huge asset for film producers.

Wyatt and Finely WilfortWyatt and Finely Wilfort
Wyatt and Finely Wilfort

"They’d be swapped around. One would be filmed and then I’d bring in the other one. It worked really well and the twins loved it,” said mum Stuetina Avery, who lives in Wolverton.

The twins were a happy surprise pregnancy for the mum of two girls and her partner Daniel Wilfort. But just four months in, the couple were told they were in danger of losing them both.

Stuetina had twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), where the vessels within the shared placenta are not evenly distributed and there is an imbalance in the blood exchange between the twins.

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Wyatt was receiving too much blood that was causing his heart to overwork, while Finley was receiving too little and was at risk of malnourishment and organ failure.

The twins play baby Teddy in Life After LifeThe twins play baby Teddy in Life After Life
The twins play baby Teddy in Life After Life

“I was told there was a 60% risk that we’d lose one of them and 35% risk we would lose both,” said Stuetina.

Luckily both survived – though they caused more drama when they were born 10 weeks prematurely, weighing just 2lb 1oz and 3lb respectively.

They were in hospital for nine weeks before being allowed to return home with Stuetina and Daniel and their sisters Myla, 13 and nine-year-old Sienna.

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The boys are also well-behaved toddlers and, unlike many youngsters, are not at all shy.

"They run up to anyone on the set and say ‘hi’. They love meeting new people and seem to really enjoy being filmed,” said Stuetina.

On top of their acting career, Wyatt and Finley have now been snapped up by a model agency and have already been put forward for a range of jobs.

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