The heartbreaking truth behind Australia's iconic viral sisters 'The Twinnies'
The mother of a pair of Aussie twins who shot to stardom after speaking in unison during a TV interview has revealed the pair's struggle with ongoing health issues.
Sunshine Coast sisters Bridgette and Paula Powers became international sensations after they gave an identical, word-for-word account of a fatal carjacking last month.
Known as The Twinnies, the 47-year-old sisters have been widely trolled for their unusual behaviour.
Helen, their mother, explained that the twins have faced difficulties since birth.
'I bought them home from the hospital and I thought there was something wrong, and in my heart, I knew they were different,' Helen told Australian Story on Monday.
'They never really sucked properly on a bottle, they used to scream a lot, they were floppy babies - they didn't sit up until they were about probably 15 months old.'
Their dad, John, said he and his wife could not figure out what was wrong with their girls, and neither did the doctors, despite countless visits to the hospital.
Bridgette and Paula were sent to a school that specialised in speech therapy before moving to a mainstream school.
However, the pair faced intense bullying from other students for their unique bond.
'High school was very, very hard for them. As they got older their heart problems started kicking in,' Helen said.
'A lot of girls used to give them a hard time about not having boyfriends, asking if they were having it off with one another.'
The beloved set of twins, who wear matching clothes everyday and sleep in the same room, found their purpose once they left school in year 10 and moved to the Sunshine Coast.
Their love for wildlife flourished and they were even hired by the late Steve Irwin to work at his Australia Zoo after he saw them in action during their first wildlife rescue.
They have since been running the Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue for 25 years and are renowned across Queensland for their wildlife volunteer work.
'It is a costly passion [but] we just love looking after the seabirds and water birds,' Bridgette told Daily Mail Australia.
'We love it because they need our help because there's hardly anyone who cares for them on a big scale.'
The Twins' close friend Claire Smith added Bridgette and Paula's love for sea birds had helped them over the years despite their debilitating illnesses.
The pair suffer from osteoporosis, heart and stomach issues and have admitted their health problems will eventually force them to give up their wildlife rescue.
Bridgette and Paula revealed they feel they're going to 'fall off our perch' have already decided what they will do with their wildlife rescue if they are unable to find a suitable replacement.
They plan to knock everything down and turn the area into a wetlands so that birds can feel safe and fly in and out when they please.
In the wake of their recent TV appearances the pair were contacted by GoFundMe who want to help use their fame for a good cause.
As a result, the Powers sisters launched a fundraiser to raise $30,000 to support their long-standing work rescuing pelicans and seabirds.
The funds will go towards buying fish, ongoing electricity costs and maintaining the rescue building.
'Our poor old centre, we're forever patching it up all the time. It's a very old building but it's working,' Bridgette told Daily Mail Australia.
When asked how long they had been speaking in unison, they answered: 'From day dot'.
But the pair have not always received a warm reception, with some online trolls criticising the pair if there is a delay between their voices.
'It worries the keyboard warriors, they've got nothing better to do,' they said.
'The comments don't bother us anymore. It used to bother us but now it doesn't whatsoever. I don't know why it bothers them.'
The sisters say they try to speak independently but it 'comes very awkward'.
Bridgette and Paula sparked worldwide interest on April 23 after they were filmed speaking in unison during an interview on 7News about a carjacking.
Dressed in matching Easter outfits, the sisters recounted the terrifying moment their mother came face-to-face with an alleged gunman.
Their appearance subsequently made headlines around the world, with US media and politics news website Mediaite describing their recount as 'surreal'.
Twins Bridgette and Paula have previously caught the attention of media after it was revealed they have their own language and wear matching clothes every day.
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