While they may be decades apart in age, these lookalike mother-and-daughter duos are frequently mistaken for being sisters – and with their uncanny resemblance it’s not hard to see why.
Many youngsters would hate being compared to their elders but these youthful-looking parents, who have all been blessed with strong genes, agree it’s the biggest compliment they could receive.
Wedding planner Natasha Clarke is 17 years older than her daughter Kailey, but they are the spitting image of one another and often go clubbing together in Oxford.
And you’d be mistaken for thinking you’re seeing double looking at photographs of stay-at-home mum Kristal Napodano, 37, and her daughter Olivia Nelson, 20, from Northamptonshire, who many people assume are twins.
Scroll down the meet the startlingly youthful mums and their daughters – but can you guess which is which?
Stacie Levison, 48 (right) has been compared to her daughter Harlie, 24 (left) from when her daughter was a teenager. Speaking of the comments they receive, mother Stacie said: ‘I am certainly flattered when people mistake me for her sister’
Despite their age difference, mother and daughter duo Kristal Napodano, 37, (right) and her daughter Olivia Nelson, 20, (left) both from Wootton, Northamptonshire look uncanny. The pair aren’t just mistaken for sisters – but also twins
High-flying lawyer Sheela Mackintosh-Stewart, 49 (right) is mother to Alexandra Mackintosh, 23 (left) and has even been mistaken for her younger sister
Kristal, 37 (right) took her daughter Olivia, 20, to a university careers talk. When the spokesperson asked them both which courses they were thinking of applying for, Kristal explained she was her mother. She explained: ‘the spokesperson thought we were twins’
‘Someone thought we were twins’
Stay-at-home mum Kristal Napodano, 37, and her student daughter Olivia Nelson, 20, are both from Wootton, Northamptonshire
While being mistaken for sisters may be the ultimate compliment, stay-at-home mum Kristal Napodano and Olivia Nelson are more specifically confused for being twins.
‘When I took Olivia to a university careers talk, a spokesperson asked us both which courses we were thinking of applying for,’ explained 37-year-old Kristal.
‘Through my laughing, I explained that I wasn’t Olivia’s sister, but her mother. Unbelievably, the spokesperson thought we were twins.’
Olivia, who is studying for a degree in Media Production, added: ‘If my relationship to Mum ever comes up in conversation, we are met with confused faces. It’s quite funny watching them try to accept that she isn’t my sister or twin.’
While Kristal (left) thinks Olivia hates being called her sisters, the twenty-year-old said: ‘I actually don’t mind. She’s such good fun that I really like going out with her’
Describing how their mirror image appearance can prove useful at times, Kristal recalled one particular occasion when they both went wedding dress shopping.
‘The owner of the shop assumed we were sisters and when I told her that Olivia was her daughter, she was gobsmacked,’ explained Kristal.
‘At the end of my appointment I was torn between two dresses, so Olivia put one on alongside the one I was wearing so I could compare them and picture how I’d look in them both. So our likeness has proved useful at times!
And there have also been instances where mother Kristal has been asked for ID, rather than her daughter.
When mum Kristal (right) was trying on her wedding dresses, she was torn between two. She asked her daughter Olivia (left) to put one on alongside her so she could compare them. She said: ‘So our likeness has proved useful at times!’
Olivia said her mum can keep up with her and her mates when they’re drinking and said that they think she’s very cool.’ She added: ‘When we’re out clubbing I would much rather people assume she’s my sister than my Mum anyway!’
‘One time, Mum had to prove she wasn’t underage when buying a bottle of wine,’ said Olivia. ‘But when I bought some vodka, I wasn’t even questioned! Mum didn’t let that one go for a long time, and I let her enjoy the glory!’
While many girls might balk at the idea of being compared to their elders, Olivia insists she doesn’t mind – especially because her friends think her mum is ‘cool.’
‘Mum thinks I hate being called her sister because I’m always rolling my eyes,’ said the 20-year-old. ‘But I actually don’t mind. She’s such good fun that I really like going out with her.’
‘She can keep up with me and my mates drinking – just about! And they all think she’s very cool. When we’re out clubbing I would much rather people assume she’s my sister than my Mum anyway!’
On one occasion, Kristal (left) hand to prove that she wasn’t underage to a shopkeeper, while her daughter, 17 year her junior, wasn’t even questioned
‘Mum gets chatted up by guys my age’
Counsellor Stacie Levison, 48 and daughter Harlie, 24, a special needs teacher, are both from Shenley, Hertfordshire
Youthful mother Stacie Levison, 48, began receiving comments on how alike she looked to her daughter from the minute Harlie, a special needs teacher, hit her teens.
‘We have similar mannerisms, we’re both tall, and now we have the same long blonde hair,’ said Stacie, describing their similarities. ‘I am certainly flattered when people mistake me for her sister.’
While Harlie admitted she now likes the comments and is inseparable from her mother, it was a different story when she was younger.
Stacie with daughter Harlie (right). While Stacie used to ‘roll her eyes’ and ‘act all stroppy’ when the comparisons were made, that has now changed – because it happens so often
‘When people used to ask if I was her sister, she would roll her eyes and act all stroppy,’ Stacie, who works as a counsellor, said. ‘Thankfully that’s changed now, because we get it all the time!’
Daughter Harlie added: ‘I used to get embarrassed when people thought Mum was my sister, but not anymore.’
‘We go to the same nail salon and for months, the women that worked there assumed we were sisters. Every time I called her ‘Mum’, they laughed, thinking I was joking.’
She added: ‘Another time, we were on a night out when a group of guys approached us. We were chatting for ages when it came up that we were mum and daughter.’
The mother and daughter on holiday, While Stacie is 24 years her daughter’s senior, the smiley duo both look uncanny with their long, straight blonde hair and matching sunglasses
‘The men refused to believe it until I showed them some family and baby photos. Then one of them had the cheek to ask Mum for her number, so I said: ‘I’ll pass that onto my dad. The look on his face was priceless!’
But while she may me mistaken for Harlie’s sister, Stacie confessed she can’t keep up with her on a night out.
‘One night we went out together and after a few hours she begged me to stay out with her, her boyfriend and their mates,’ explained Stacie.
‘I had to tell her that I couldn’t keep partying through the night – I was exhausted and all I wanted was to be tucked up in bed!’
While Stacie thinks that her daughter sees the comparisons as an ‘insult,’ Harlie is actually ‘honoured’ because her mum ‘looks incredible.’
Stacie added: ‘Neither me or Harlie has a sister, so perhaps that’s what makes out relationship so special. I just hope people still think we’re sisters in years to come!’
Harlie (right) admitted that while she used to get ’embarrassed’ about her mother (left) being mistaken for her sister, those days are now long gone
Harlie with her mother Stacie (right). Speaking of their comparisons, Harlie said: I’m honoured that mum is often mistaken for my sister because she looks incredible’
‘I’ve been mistaken for the younger sister’
Family lawyer Sheela Mackintosh-Stewart, 49, and her student daughter Alexandra Mackintosh, 23, are both from Buckinghamshire
Sheela Mackintosh-Stewart, 49 (right) said that while she and her daughter Alexandra Mackintosh, 23 (left) are both outgoing and sociable – they look similar, too
Family lawyer Sheela and her daughter Ally are both outgoing and sociable – but it’s not just their personalities that are similar.
‘A waiter once handed Ally the bill instead of me, thinking she was the eldest of us both – even though I’m more than double her age,’ explained Sheela, highlighting their almost identical appearances.
‘When we’ve gone for dinner with my husband James, people have asked him where his wife is, thinking he is dining with a couple of young sisters!’
Student Ally loves the fact that she and her mother are mistaken for sisters – particularly because they have a good laugh about it.
‘It’s something we are quite used to in the family – my grandma looks fantastic, and she and my mum are often thought to be sisters too!’ said the 23-year-old.
‘I like to tease Mum about it and jokingly introduce her to people as ‘grandma’, just to see the looks on their faces! They don’t believe she’s my grandmother, but they can’t believe she’s my mother either!’
But while they may look the same age, Ally still sees Sheela as her mum – and would never do anything to cross that boundary.
Mother Sheela (right) explained that once she went to dinner with her husband James, he was asked by people where his wife was – because they thought he was dining with a couple of young sisters!
‘I respect her enormously for her views and advice and for more or less single-handedly raising my me and my sister Elisabeth,’ said Ally.
‘Mum is also excellent at listening, and all of my friends tell her things they don’t even tell their own mums!’
Speaking of their close relationship, Sheela is thrilled that her daughter’s friends enjoy spending time with her, too.
‘Ally and I are very close,’ she explained. ‘She borrows my clothes, make-up and jewellery, and she tells me her friends enjoy spending time with me too.’
She added: ‘We even have a joint blog together – being a matrimonial consultant and relationship expert we teamed up to offer contrasting relationship advice. Now we are the go-to people when our friends of all ages have issues with their life and relationships. We may look alike, but we often have quite different opinions!’
And Ally hopes that the strong youthful genes will be passed down for generations to come.
‘I am delighted to have such a youthful looking mum, and I am hoping to have the same ‘problem’ with my own kids when I reach her age,’ said Sheela. ‘The only downside is, if we are being mistaken for sisters does that mean I look old?’
Despite looking the same age, Ally said she still sees Sheela as her mum and parental figure – so would never do anything to cross that boundary
‘We go clubbing together’
Wedding and events planner Natasha Clarke, 37, and her daughter Kailey Clarke, 20, are from Summertown, Oxford
Kailey Clarke is used to her mother being the one to receive the compliments, and says they can’t go anywhere without being mistaken for sisters – which is just as well, as the pair are so close, they even work together in the wedding business.
‘Mum and I have been mistaken for sisters for as long as I can remember,’ said the 20-year-old hair and makeup artist. ‘It’s something I’ve grown up with and I’m used to Mum always being the one given compliments.
‘At parents’ evenings, the teachers have always been surprised that the woman with me is my mother!’
Kailey enjoys going out with her mother and said her friends (above) think she’s ‘quite fun to be around.’ Natasha (far right) is often asked what the secret is to looking so youthful
As Kailey has got older and the pair have got closer in age, it is happening all the most frequently – something which Natasha, a wedding planner, loves.
‘I have to admit, I love it. I don’t know any mother who wouldn’t,’ she said, before describing a particularly memorable occasion. ‘When we went on holiday to Cyprus, Kailey shouted me from across a gift shop.
‘As she did, the shop assistant looked confused and came over to ask me if she had really just called me ‘Mum’. I told her she’d heard right and the rest of the staff came over to look at me in amazement – asking me my secret to looking so youthful.’
Twenty-year-old Kailey said that at parents evening, the teachers are always surprised that the woman with her is her mother. Above, Natasha also looks the same age as Kailey’s friends
And despite being 17 years older than her daughter, Natasha has no problem keeping up with her daughter when it comes to hitting the clubbing scene.
‘When Kailey and I go clubbing together, if she shouts “Mum” across the dance floor, I ignore her then jokingly say: ‘If you want to go clubbing with me, call me Natasha,’ explained the 37-year-old.
‘That said, if a guy tries to chat Kailey up, I have no problem reverting back to my maternal role – then I’m the mum from hell!’
Natasha has banned Kailey from calling her “Mum” on a night out, but if a guy makes a move on her daughter (right), she has no problem reverting back to her strict parental role. Speaking of the situation if it was to arise, she said: ‘Then I’m the mum from hell!’
Natasha Clarke, 37 (left) and her daughter Kailey Clarke, 20 (right) are both from Summertown, Oxford. The pair are often mistaken for sisters, especially when they go clubbing together
Speaking of her strict mother, Kailey added: ‘I enjoy going out with Mum and her friends because they are all quite fun to be around. But there also places I would never let Mum join me!’
But while the pair who bear and uncanny resemblance are often bale to joke together, Natasha has also got a strict side.
‘Even if we look like sisters, I would never be able to forget that I’m the daughter in our relationship,’ revealed Kailey. ‘I’m sure we’ll be getting the same surprised looks and comments for years to come.’