Together, always and forever…
Sonia Dixon and her twin sister, Ade Campbell, not only look identical, their lives are a mirror-image of each other’s, too!
Standing at the front of the room, all eyes were on us as my then husband-to-be, Pete, and I exchanged vows. ‘I do,’ said Pete, slipping the ring on my finger. And our family and friends, all gathered together in Bracknell Register Office, let out a happy sigh as the registrar pronounced us husband and wife.
It was September 1982 and my big day was everything I’d dreamed of. But rather than the ceremony ending there, we took our seats as my twin sister, Ade, and her partner, Ron, stood up and took their place at the front of the room.
Because, while most people may have wanted to be the sole focus on their wedding day, sharing the celebrations with my identical twin made them doubly special.
After all, Ade and I were inseparable and always had been. Friends and family hadn’t been surprised when we’d announced we were having a joint wedding. It made more sense for our loved ones, too, only having to attend one ceremony.
Apart from our different outfits – mine was an ivory pencil dress and Ade opted for a trouser suit – everything else in the wedding was combined. We had matching posies of white flowers and shared a three-tiered wedding cake.
Afterwards, we jetted off to Miami, Florida, for a joint honeymoon. Thankfully, Pete and Ron got on very well, otherwise it may have caused a problem! But Ade and I really were two peas in a pod and, as well as being identical, we shared the same wicked sense of humour too…
Born in Aberdeen, our family had moved to Burnley, Lancashire, when we were 10 years old, and up until that point, we’d even shared a bedroom. Ade was my best friend throughout school so, when I enrolled into the Army, aged 17, it was our first taste of separation from one another.
‘ What will I do without you?’ Ade had fretted as I packed.
‘I wish you could come,’ I admitted.
It was my only reservation about my new job… I should’ve known then that it wouldn’t be long before Ade followed suit, joining the military herself just 18 months later.
It was typical of us. I’d always been the type to dive headfirst into the unknown, while Ade was more careful, dipping her toe in after me. Much to our dismay, though, we weren’t posted together. Instead, I was in Northern Ireland while Ade served in Germany.
By the time we were out of
the Army in February 1982, we both had a man on our arm. As a foursome, with Pete and Ron, we went off on holidays together, us twins still joined at the hip but now we dragged our partners along too!
It seemed like Ade and I were spending our whole lives joined together. We’d often end up buying each other the same cards and presents, giggling at our similarities. When I had my children, Chelsey, now 32, and Kerry, 29, Ade wasn’t too far behind in having her son, Scott, 28.
I’d started a job as a member of staff at Heathrow Airport in 1980 and, of course, Ade joined the team five years later.
Over 40 years on and we’re both still there, serving guests in the VIP lounge.
A lot of the time we do backto-back shifts, so we’ll only see each other during the shift changes, but occasionally we get to work together. I once hugged a VIP passenger who’d been flying with us for over seven years. He was changing jobs, so we weren’t going to see him again. But when he saw Ade a few days later, he said, ‘Let’s do another hug.’
Ade guessed what’d happened, so she turned her pass round and returned the embrace so as not embarrass him.
Even a former Prime Minister, who we served regularly, took 17 years to notice we were twins! When strangers wave at me in the street, I just wave back. They’re probably someone who knows Ade.
Now, at 62, both Ade and I are separated from our husbands but we supported each other through the tough times.
I moved into a new development in Crowthorne, Berkshire, in May 2019. I showed Ade around my new place, knowing all too well what she’d do.
‘It’s lovely,’ she gushed. ‘I wonder if they have any more available…?’ Just 15 months later, my sister moved into her own house, a stone’s throw from mine.
Some people can’t understand why we’d want to stay so close. All I can say is, it must be a twin thing. Our dad, Henry Taylor, was an identical twin too and he was just as close to his brother, Ronnie.
If truth be told, I’d be lost without Ade and I feel incredibly lucky to have her by my side. We’ve been through so much together; I can’t imagine us ever being apart.
‘I’d be lost without Ade and I feel lucky to have her by my side’
Ade says:
‘Sonia and I have always been close. When she joined the Army, I was bereft. It was like part of me was missing. It was the first time we’d not experienced something together – but I followed her about 18 months later. We didn’t serve together, but it felt natural to be in the same field. We just gravitate to one another.
‘My husband and I separated recently after 38 years. We’re on good terms, but it was still hard. Of course, I always have Sonia to turn to whenever I’m feeling low. I don’t know how I would have got through without her.
‘We’re mirror twins in almost everything. I’m an early bird and she’s a night owl. And when we cross our arms and legs, it’s the opposite way so we really do mirror each other. We fall out occasionally, but we make up very quickly!
‘Sonia is the only person who really makes me laugh. I can’t stop giggling when we’re together. I love being close to her and wouldn’t have it any other way.’