British twins, separated at birth, reunited in California after 78 years

It's been 78 years since Ann Hunt and Elizabeth Hamel were last together — in their English mother's womb.

The twin sisters, separated by a lifetime and an ocean, were reunited last week for the first time since birth in Southern California, thanks to a nudge from their children and help from a psychology professor, the Orange County Register reported Sunday.

Hunt, who lives in England, was given up for adoption and only learned she had a twin when she looked for her birth mother after her adopted mother died.

Hamel, who lives in Oregon, always knew she had a twin but says she never thought she would see her sister. "How lovely to see you in the flesh," Hamel said, as she embraced her sister at a hotel in Fullerton.

The women were to spend the next day undergoing testing at the Twin Studies Centre at California State University, Fullerton, with professor Nancy Segal, who researches twins who were raised apart to better understand the role of genes and environment in human development.

Both women were born in Aldershot, England, in 1936. Their mother, a domestic servant, decided to give up one of the girls after their birth father fled.