SHE blamed herself for her twin sister's death, pined for her every day, and denied herself home comforts - these were heartbreaking final years of Freda Chaplin.

As revealed in The Press this week, Freda died in May, aged 77 - some 13 years after her identical twin sister Greta, who died in 2007.

Neighbours and friends reported how Freda missed her sister dreadfully and visited her grave at Fulford Cemetery every day, health and weather permitting.

During life, the sisters, of Tang Hall, York, were inseparable and became the subject of media stories and documentary films because of their strange behaviour - they wore identical clothes, spoke at the same time, and walked in step.

After Greta died of cancer in 2007 at the age of 64, friends and neighbours feared that Freda would die of a broken heart.

Read more: Freda Chaplin death: famous York twin buried with sister Greta in York grave

Read more: Obituary: Freda Chaplin - famous York twin dies aged 77

And it seems that Freda's final years were consumed by intense guilt and grief, according to York Celebrant Fiona Brown, who researched the twins' lives to write the eulogy for Freda's funeral service.

Fiona, an award winning celebrant working in York, said that Freda could not bear to be parted from Greta when she was dying from cancer in 2007.

She said: "Freda and Greta were separated only when Greta’s ill health meant that she had to be admitted to York District Hospital.

"Freda found this very difficult to the extent that, in the last few days of Greta’s life, she was moved. Greta and Freda, together, were then cared for, in the same room, at Oak Rise specialist unit in York. Because Greta was unable to eat at the end of her life – Freda pined and refused food herself."

Following Greta's death, Freda was plagued by guilt and denied herself comforts.

Fiona said: "Following Greta’s death, Freda lived alone in the former family home denying herself anything that she saw as a luxury. She simply could not allow herself to have, even, an easy chair to sit in – why should she have any comfort that she could not share with her sister?"

She added: "Despite reassurance after reassurance, from all those who knew of the circumstances of Greta’s illness and death, Freda blamed herself for the eventual outcome.

"She was full of a million regrets concerning how she and Greta had handled the illness. Over and over again, she came up with suggestions about what they should have done differently – how the conclusion could have turned out positive, if only this, that or the other thing had been done.

"Thereafter, Freda was totally committed to visiting Greta’s grave every single day of the year.

"Looking at the grave, walking around it, changing the decorations upon it, was a daily ritual that Freda had to perform before doing anything else.

"Whatever the weather, whatever the state of her health, she agitated every morning, until she was on her way to see her sister, accompanied by a member of her support team – one of her personal assistants, Charlie, Josie and Patsy, or a member of the St Anne’s Team which is led by Rachel and Linda."

She added: "On the rare occasions when Freda really, really couldn’t make her daily pilgrimage to the cemetery because of driving snow, floods or her own ill health, she was consumed with guilt. She felt that she had let her twin down."

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Fiona said she was "pleased" to be able to give Freda a fitting farewell at her funeral.

She said: "Freda and her sister were fascinating and watching the various documentaries and talking to people who knew them gave a wonderful insight into their characters.

"Although I didn't ever get to meet her, I am pleased that I was able to give Freda a fitting final farewell.

"There was a real sense of peace that she was now reunited with her beloved sister. "

She added: "I did a lot of research and looked at the documentaries online and spoke to her careers.

"She was a fiery character but she had a good heart and was passionate about animals."

And she revealed that at Freda's funeral, a butterfly shape of wild flower seeds was laid on the sisters' grave that will bloom year after year in their memory.