Inside Olly Murs' 15 year feud with twin who changed name and banned contact after wedding bust-up

Olly Murs and his twin brother have been embroiled in a 15-year feud, with the latter even changing his name and cutting off all contact after a wedding mishap. The siblings were once inseparable until Olly's rise to fame on the X Factor led to a fallout.

The tension began when the Dear Darlin' singer, 39, missed Ben's wedding - and his duties as best man - to appear on the ITV reality show. Ben was furious that his brother had chosen fame over him, accusing the X Factor of "tearing the family apart".

Last year, Olly, who allegedly didn't invite Ben to his own wedding, welcomed his daughter, Madison, with his wife, Amelia Tank. However, it remains unknown whether Uncle Ben has met the newborn.

Here's everything you need to know about the Murs brothers' feud....

Olly snubs brother's wedding

The twins' feud ignited in 2009 when Olly skipped Ben's wedding - and his responsibilities as best man - to participate in The X Factor semi-final. This led Ben to label the singer a "self-obsessed sell out", reports the Mirror.

"Our family was torn apart because of X Factor," he vented to the Sunday People in 2009. "It was clear that people like Simon Cowell were more important to him than me."

On The Voice, Olly confirmed his absence at the wedding, telling Will.i.am: "I was on X Factor and I couldn't make his wedding because I was on the show."

Quizzed about his brother's whereabouts, he confessed: "I have no idea."

Yet, Olly previously touched on their relationship's longstanding tension before he found fame on X Factor, accusing Ben of using his wedding as an 'excuse'.

"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," he disclosed to The Sunday Times Magazine in a heartfelt chat, adding: "His wedding was his excuse for not having me in his life anymore... I don't think he ever liked us as a family."

'A big argument'

When speaking about their fallout post-wedding bust-up, Olly peeled back the layers of his fractured relationship with his sibling during his tenure on The Voice, admitting: "We had a big argument."

Holding back the tears, he continued: "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."

As fellow coaches offered comfort, an emotional Olly went on: "We used to sing together all the time... We could've been up there on the stage."

It wasn't just Olly who Ben cut ties with, but also their parents, who Ben claimed had been changed by 'fame and greed'.

Ben changes name and accuses parents of 'favouring' Olly

Distancing himself from his famous twin Olly, Ben decided to take on his wife Amy's surname, Hart, and accused his parents of favouritism towards his brother. Speaking to Sunday People, he fumed: "My parents wanted this bright, shiny Olly with the money who can give them the VIP lifestyle. They liked hanging around with Simon Cowell, or going to Bon Jovi concerts they loved their VIP selfies. I'm not interested in anything like that, I have a lovely life with my wife and kids. I've worked hard, been to university and got a degree, I've never wanted anything from Olly."

The twins' mum says rift left her 'too sick' to work

Meanwhile, amid the family conflict, the twins' mother Vicky confessed her grief over the situation had left her too unwell for work. She went into detail about how it affected her health, stating: "It was such a shock it made me ill. I even thought I had MS I had to use a walking stick because my legs were so weak. I also couldn't work. I was on the verge of a breakdown."

She admitted: "I'm much better now but my heart is broken. Ben's broken my heart, and his dad's, but I will not hear anything against him, I don't think he understands what he's done."

Ben, on his end, claimed his attempt at reconciliation was met with rejection. He alleged an offer of peace following the birth of his son in 2013 was shut down by Olly, who then instructed him to delete his number.

Olly described the accusations as 'inconsistent' and attempted to extend an olive branch in 2017. Yet, Ben was not receptive, telling the Sunday People: "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."