Couple’s selfie goes viral after it’s pointed out how much they look like Phil and Shirley from EastEnders

A couple from Southampton have inadvertently shot to fame among Eastenders fans for their uncanny resemblance to Phil Mitchell and Shirley Carter on the soap.

It started when Sally Darley and Craig Moylan took an innocent selfie and posted it on Facebook. Then, as is always a risk with mates on Facebook, one left a cheeky comment. In this case their friend Michael Symonds, who pointed out their pair bore a remarkable resemblance to the on-and-off couple from EastEnders. But things really kicked off when Michael's daughter (this is starting to sound like an EastEnders plot now), Summa, screen-grabbed the comment and posted it on Twitter. https://twitter.com/summa_symonds/status/823137520804360192 The tweet rapidly blew up as EastEnders fans were taken with the similarities and it has been retweeted over 19,000 times and liked almost 60,000 times since Sunday. This isn't the first time the couple have drawn comparisons to Shirley and Phil. Craig, 53, who is a fan of the soap, told Mirror Online:

"We get stopped in the street and they want our photograph. People want autographs and they are shouting across the street. "The funny thing about it is people even say my partner acts like Shirley. Someone once asked what she drinks it's the same as what Shirley drinks – vodka."

However he added his partner was not hugely enamoured with the comparisons to Shirley, complaining: "I don't f*****g look like her, she's old". Fans of the soap seemed to disagree as they were quick to share the tweet and give their verdict on how close they felt the resemblance was. https://twitter.com/nishaatttt/status/823312049090523137 https://twitter.com/ffsJaay/status/823138147638931457 https://twitter.com/stigure8/status/823320142352384003 https://twitter.com/BrianScotsBhoy/status/823298922751860737