A couple have spoken of their joy after bringing baby boys home for Christmas - 12 years after tragically losing their first set of twins.

Donna and Mark Bishop never got the chance to hold Jack and Jordan before they died barely 24 hours after they were born two months premature.

But the couple, of Norman Road, Burgess Hill, were stunned when Donna fell pregnant with twins for a second time.

Donna, 33, said: "I never thought I would have twins again - it was like it was meant to happen. I'm not a particularly religious person but when something like this happens it gets you thinking."

Their joy had been mixed with a foreboding that history might repeat itself as the couple realised their new babies could also be premature.

Mark, 35, who runs Bishop's Window Cleaners, was particularly apprehensive as he knew how badly his wife was affected by the tragedy.

Donna said: "I became quite depressed and felt as if the stuffing had been kicked out of me.

"Before I was a happy-go-lucky kind of girl and this forced me to mature and grow up very quickly.

"I felt nothing was funny any more and lost a little bit of my personality. Luckily our families were very supportive and Mark was my rock through it all. I don't think I ever would have got over it if it wasn't for him.

"When I told Mark it was twins he did not believe me at all.

"All through the pregnancy he was very tense and got even more nervous as my due day approached."

When Donna went into labour after only 34 weeks on November 29 it seemed the couple's darkest fears had been realised.

She was taken to the specialist baby care unit at Brighton's Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Donna said: "They were both just 4lb 7oz and their weight dropped to 4lb 4oz.

"It was very hard to see them in the incubators so small and weak.

"But each day they continued to get stronger and stronger and I began to get more confident they would be okay."

After four days the boys, Harley and Bobby, were well enough to be transferred to the Princes Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.

Donna said: "Seeing them get taken away brought a lot of bad memories and I got quite upset.

"But to be able to go up the next day to see and hold them was just lovely.

"After that, I made sure I cared for them myself for as long as they were on the ward."

Bobby and Harley have now been brought home after getting the all-clear last week, giving Donna and Mark and their other children, Jack, six, and Danielle, seven, the best Christmas they could have imagined.

Donna said: "It had been a very stressful few weeks but now it's all over and we are incredibly glad it has ended happily.

"This will be one of our best Christmases.

"The twins haven't been outside yet because it is a bit too cold but on Christmas Day we're planning to take them on a nice long walk in their brand new push chairs.

"I can't wait."