The sister of Doris Hobday, one half of the UK’s oldest identical twins, has spoken of her grief at losing her best friend of 96 years to Covid and slammed the PM’s late handling of the crisis.
As Doris took her last breath, twin Lilian Cox was being rushed to the same hospital after also contracting the virus.
Lil did manage to speak to Doris by phone and beg her to “fight for her life”.
But when she left Sandwell General Hospital two weeks later, she was devastated to learn her sister had died.
Speaking for the first time since Doris’ death, Lil told the Sunday People: “These things happen for a reason but it’s not fair.
"We came into the world together.
"She was two hours older than me and we shared everything.
"She wasn’t just my sister, she was my best friend.”
She added: “The nurses and doctors were fantastic but Boris is a bloody w*****.
“I think lockdown should have happened a lot earlier – then there would not have been half as many deaths.”
Inseparable Lil and Doris, known as the Tipton twins, worked in the same West Midlands factories and lived on the same street.
They became household names in 2019 when they appeared on ITV’s This Morning and had 40,000 followers on social media.
In their later years, they lived next door to each other in an assisted living complex and formed a support bubble for the pandemic.
They were so scared of contracting Covid they avoided relatives at Christmas and spent it together.
But their family fear relaxed restrictions meant other residents unknowingly brought the virus into the home.
Doris died on January 5. Lil, left, is now recovering at her daughter Vivien’s home in Dudley and has started a memorial fundraiser for the Beacon Centre for the Blind, which helped Doris’ late husband Raymond.
Speaking of her beloved sister, Lil said: “She’ll be remembered by thousands. I think we spread a lot of joy together.”
Lilian is raising money for Beacon Centre For The Blind in Doris' memory after they helped her late husband Raymond for many years.
To donate, click here.
