The idea of having a doppelganger has inspired some of the greatest writers of our time. Even today, few are unfazed when a friend claims to have seen somebody exactly like them. François Brunelle even has an entire series ‘I’m not a look-alike’ with unrelated people who seem to look like twins.

For 17-year old Swedish-born Sara Nordstrom, and Shannon Lonergan, 21 from Ireland, having a doppelganger is a reality. The two women are not related, and live over 1,600 miles apart. They found each other on TwinStrangers.net, a website with over half a million users that brings lookalikes together.

The duo couldn’t believe their eyes when they met each other for the first time earlier this month in Dublin. They enjoyed a Christmas-themed photoshoot together and posted it online. The post kicked up a storm on social media.

Shannon, a business student from County Kerry, said: “The scariest thing was how our noses, mouths, lips and eyes were so incredibly alike.”

“It frightened me a little bit, but in a good way. As I spent more time with Sara I noticed how our expressions and ways of moving were exactly alike.”

“Our personalities are a little different, Sara was a little more shy, but before too long we talked and acted like we had known each other for years.”

“Nothing else was different – you bond very quickly with someone who has your face.”
Sara said: “It felt a bit surreal when we finally met, a bit like looking at yourself.

“We seem to see things the same way – there was a bathroom underneath the stairs in the house where we were staying and at different times we both commented: “It’s just like in Harry Potter!”.

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