To the world, Olly Murs is the cheeky Essex lad who rose from karaoke nights to chart-topping fame — the boy next door who made Britain smile again after The X Factor.
But behind the showbiz sparkle lies a heartbreak he can never quite escape — the loss of his twin brother, Ben, the other half of a bond that once felt unbreakable.

In 2009, the world watched as Olly’s life changed overnight. His performances on The X Factor earned him adoration, fame, and a record deal that would make him one of the UK’s biggest pop stars. Yet, that same year, his family fell apart.

Ben Murs was getting married — a day meant to be filled with joy and family. But Olly wasn’t there. He missed his twin’s wedding because of the X Factor semi-finals, a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

“I broke a promise,” Olly later admitted. “And that mistake cost me my brother.”

In the years since, the once inseparable twins have not spoken. What began as disappointment became resentment — and then silence.
Ben accused Olly of choosing fame over family, telling friends, “Our family was torn apart because of The X Factor. Simon Cowell and the show were more important to him than me.”

Their mother, Vicky-Lynn Murs, was left heartbroken watching her two sons drift into different worlds.

“My heart broke in two when my sons fell apart,” she told relatives through tears.
“I was devastated when it happened. I felt like I’d lost them both.”

Olly himself has confessed that the pain never fades.
“When you’ve shared a womb with someone, you struggle with loneliness,” he said quietly during an interview. “Every Christmas, I send a message, hoping for a reply… but it never comes.”

Fame brought him success beyond his dreams — hit singles, tours, a judging spot on The Voice, and sold-out arenas. But no award, no applause, and no spotlight can fill the space left by a twin who won’t answer.

The rift has stretched for more than a decade. Even as Olly’s life changed — falling in love with Amelia Tank, marrying her, and becoming a father — one shadow has always lingered: the brother he can’t bring back.
He revealed that he once tried to text Ben on his birthday, only to discover the number had been changed. “That was hard,” he said. “It was like losing him all over again.”

Friends say Olly has learned to smile through it. On stage, he jokes, dances, beams with charm — but offstage, Christmas is still the hardest time of year.
The tree goes up, the lights sparkle, the house fills with music… and still, there’s one message he sends every year:
“Merry Christmas, mate.”
And every year, there’s no reply.

For Olly, that silence is louder than any crowd he’s ever sung to.
He once said, “I’ve achieved everything I ever dreamed of — but if I could trade it all for one more day with my brother, I would.”

His story is a painful reminder that even under the brightest lights, some hearts remain in the dark — waiting, hoping, for the sound of forgiveness on the other end of the phone.

 A family divided by fame, a mother’s heart broken, and a brother still waiting for a Christmas that may never come.