Covid-19: Funeral held of identical Tipton twin Doris Hobday

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The Tipton Twins

The funeral has taken place of a 96-year-old identical twin who died after contracting coronavirus.

Doris Hobday and Lilian Cox, from Tipton, West Midlands, were admitted to hospital in January after testing positive for Covid-19.

Mrs Cox recovered but Mrs Hobday died on 5 January.

Her surviving twin said she would always remember her sister, adding: "We never had no arguments. She was like me - lovely."

"She will always be in my heart, Doris will, and in my mind, she will always be there. We have done so much together, making people happy and all that."

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Lilian Cox said her twin sister would "always be in my heart"

Mrs Cox joined family and friends at a church in Tipton to remember her sister.

A small group of people watched their arrival and there was applause as her coffin entered the church.

Mrs Hobday was buried next to her husband Ray, who died 11 years ago, and who, along with a half-pint of Guinness, was "her favourite thing".

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Lilian Cox joined family and friends to remember her sister and there was applause from onlookers as the coffin entered the church

The siblings were among the UK's oldest living twins, and appeared on national television.

The pair became popular online with their positive outlook on life and sense of humour.

They appeared on BBC Breakfast, ITV's Good Morning Britain and This Morning, charming presenters with jokes about wearing their drawers inside out and their love for actor Jason Statham.

Mrs Cox and Mrs Hobday said they did everything together, which included living on the same street after getting married and working together at a brewery in Birmingham.

More recently they were living next to one another in Tipton in sheltered accommodation.

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Image caption,

Doris has been buried next to her husband Ray, who, along with half a Guinness, was "her favourite thing"

Speaking to the BBC on their 95th birthday, Mrs Cox revealed her sister's secret to a long life was "no sex and plenty of Guinness" - her own being simply "lemonade".

A crowdfunding page set up in Mrs Hobday's memory has raised nearly £6,500 towards The Beacon Centre for the Blind in Sedgley.

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