They have been through some tough times in their short lives but for these incredibly rare identical sisters, the world is now at their feet. The youngsters created a sensation when they were born on 23 March 2006 to Julie and her husband Jose, 38 at odds of 64million to one. The sisters are only the world’s 27th set of conceived identical quads. The girls all came from one embryo which split into four, and are monochorionic, which means they shared the same placenta.
And dressed in jeans and t-shirts, the country’s first identical quadruplets are eager to see the great, wide world.
“It’s wonderful to think they’ve gone this far and are walking by themselves,” their mother, Julie, 42, said yesterday. When I look at them, I think they’re fantastic.
“I always wonder how they are going to learn to talk or ride a bike. But they surprise me every day.”
When Mrs. Carles, a former manager at a building firm, became pregnant – without fertility treatment – she was determined to carry all the children despite the risks. And the girls were so small when they were born in March 2007, the tiniest, Jessica, weighing just 1lb 9oz.
The girls have flourished after spending time in hospital incubators, despite the fact that they are still tiny for their age and wear clothing designated for newborns aged nine to twelve months. Mrs. Carles, who lives near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire said: “Now that they are walking they are into everything and anything and I have to have eyes in the back of my head.”
Her 38-year-old husband, Jose, said: “We wouldn’t be without them for the world.”
‘It’s amazing how fast the time has gone. I think when they turn 13 I’ll either have to move home or build my own bathroom,’ he said.
John Carolan, Sainsbury’s Head of Childrenswear said: ‘We’re delighted to have Ellie, Georgie, Holly, and Jessica on board, our truly unique uniform testers, and look forward to four sets of opinions over the coming months.’
