Watch Britain's only identical quads from Upper Caldecote talk about growing up together - as they get ready to celebrate 18th birthday

Identical quadruplets who beat the odds to even be born are turning 18 - and are about to separate for the first time.

Doctors told Jose and Julie Carles it was more likely they would win the lottery than that all four babies would live. But 18 years on Ellie, Georgie, Jessica and Holly are happy and healthy as they reach adulthood. The foursome were born minutes apart on March 23, 2006.

The girls are planning a low-key celebration with dad Jose, 51, and mum Julie, 55, at home in Upper Caldecote, to mark the day. They will then go off into the adult world - and do their own thing.

Dad Jose said: "Georgie and Ellie are currently doing their A levels. Georgie has been offered a place to study at the University of Creative Arts but she might defer a year and go travelling with Ellie. Jess and Holly both have another year at college.

"I think they will miss each other but they will enjoy the freedom. They will always have each other.”

Julie and Jose went for an 11-week scan after finding out they were pregnant in September 2005. They found out they had quads and that they were monochorionic - where babies are dependent on a shared placenta.

Julie, a regional operations manager, said: "Initially the sonographer said it was unlikely that they would survive. We were traumatised and upset due to the situation we found ourselves in. He told us we had more chance of winning the lottery.

"Over the weekend we did some research and accepted it, we felt like we were given a gift. I was a healthy 37-year-old. We knew we had to go forward with it."

Julie was admitted to Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, London, for monitoring when she reached 23 weeks.

She said: "It was really hard, it was the first time that Jose and I had ever been away from each other. I was getting bigger and bigger and the pressure on the body was getting more intense."

Ellie, Georgina, Jessica and Holly Carles were then born just minutes apart, between 2.16pm and 2.19pm - and weighing 2lb 8oz, 2lb 7oz, 2lbs and 1lbs 9oz respectively.

Julie said: "I had a c-section and it felt like it lasted around five minutes in total it was really quick. They were taken straight to the NICU for eight weeks. The first few days were critical but they were looked after so well.

"As soon as they were out of danger, they were moved to Lister Hospital, Stevenage, until we could bring them home."

The day Julie and Jose were able to bring the girls home was the "best day of their life".

Julie said that Georgie was the first to stand at nine months and they all hit their developmental markets by the time they were two.

She said: "Once one of them does something the rest would copy, Jess was the last of them to walk and talk. I remember their first day of pre-school, they loved it, and they didn't worry about me. Pre-school had to put their initials on their collars for teachers as they would just get them mixed up."

When it came to starting school, Julie and Jose said they were worried that they wouldn't make new friends as they would usually stick together.

But Julie said they "thrived" in middle school as they were all placed in different classes.

She said: "They were happy to be separated, they branched out and their personalities developed. When they started upper school they placed them in pairs which wasn't ideal at all. That is the time when you break away from your family but that didn't happen for them as they were together."

Ellie, Georgina, Jessica and Holly will be celebrating their 18th birthday on March 23, 2024.

Julie said: "Them turning 18 makes us really proud. You don't often get to look back at what you have done over the years. It is only when someone points it out we are like 'oh my gosh' what we have done is amazing.

She added: "The girls have asked us to go for a meal and then they have asked us to take them to a concert. They haven't really asked for much to be fair, we're going to celebrate the day as a family. We're a very close family."