<i>Water babies</i>

Ten-month twins William, left, and Ellenita practise their swimming skills in the pool. Photo: Dailymail

William and Ellenita are the gorgeous little babies who can swim a full 25-metre length of their local pool unaided. That's without armbands, life jackets or any supporting hands.
Charley, their mother, was passionate about water and had worked as a children's swimming instructor in her early 20s. She married Victor in 2008 and the following year became pregnant. Their delight was doubled when a scan revealed they were expecting twins.
Charley fell violently ill, and doctors discovered she was suffering from a placental abruption: each twin had its own placenta, and William's had ruptured, which could have killed him in minutes.
The twins were born by emergency Caesarean section on February 7. William emerged first, weighing 4.5lb, followed by Ellenita at 5lb.
It was a terrifying time for the couple: William had swallowed a large amount of blood and was severely jaundiced, and both babies had to remain in incubators for the next three weeks, before the couple finally came back to England in June.
With the twins' clean bill of health, it wasn't long before the sporty couple started to think about introducing their children to their way of life.
“I was desperate to get them in the water, but they were so little. I knew they would get cold really quickly,” says Charley. “So we had to wait until they were about four months old and had had all their inoculations.”
The first time they went to the pool she admits she clung on to the babies, just like every other protective mother. It was only when the couple visited Cyprus, where Victor has family, in October, that the twins' astonishing talent was revealed.
One afternoon, they swam five metres, then a width at seven metres, and then a length of 12 metres of the baby pool.
Now, they are mini celebrities at the Cotswolds Leisure Centre where they go with their parents for a twice-weekly splash about.