Olly Murs has had an eventful 2024 with the arrival of his first child and now the singer is due to appear on Who Do You Think You Are?.
The popular BBC show will no doubt trigger emotions in viewers as the former X Factor finalist traces back his family history, including the family mystery of what happened to his great-grandmother, who originally hailed from Latvia.
However, the singer sadly has a family feud and he is estranged from his twin brother, Ben. This reportedly stemmed from his appearance on the X Factor, with the star having to miss Ben's wedding in 2009.
© Press Gang News/ShutterstockThe singer opened up about the feud during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2015, revealing that their falling out had also caused Ben to become estranged from their parents.
Falling out
Ben shared his disappointment with the Sunday People in 2009, telling the publication: "Our family was torn apart because of X Factor. It was clear that people like Simon Cowell were more important to him than me."
© Fremantle Media/ShutterstockOlly has partially refuted Ben's claims, with the singer telling the Sunday Times: "I don't speak to my twin brother and that's been extremely difficult. Long before X Factor there were problems between Ben and his girlfriend and our family. His wedding was his excuse for not having me in his life anymore... I don't think he ever liked us as a family."
Olly's emotions
The pair's strained bond has had an effect on Olly, and when he was a judge on The Voice UK, he became emotional over their falling out. "We had a big argument," he said on the show.
"I feel like the next time I am going to see him is going to be at the worst place to see someone. It will be at someone's (funeral) that we lose in the family. I don't want that to be the case. I miss having my twin with me... This bond as a twin, it was something I was proud about and I still am."
© Rachel Joseph/ITV/ShutterstockHe admitted to his fellow judges that at the time, he didn't even know where his brother was living.
In an interview with The Times in 2024, the Troublemaker hitmaker shared his feeling of "loneliness" following their falling out. "When you've been in the womb with someone, you struggle with loneliness," he said. "I had to deal with it when my twin and I went on our separate lives."
Reconciliation attempts
The pair are still estranged and Ben has claimed that the "door has been slammed" on any possible reconciliations. In 2017, he claimed to the Sunday People that he reached out to his brother in 2013 after Ben and his wife welcomed their first child.
Ben told the publication: "I've moved on. I wish him all the best. But I've got my life and he's got his. The last time I made contact I got the door slammed in my face."
© InstagramHowever, Ben appeared open to the idea of a reconciliation, sharing with the Sunday People: "I don’t care about the superstar Olly Murs, I don't need his money or his life. I just want to know my brother."
The following year, Olly told Lorraine Kelly he hoped the pair could reconcile. "I hope so, of course, it's mad because every year I think about it, (will it be) nine years, 10 years," he told her.
