A story about two men in a same-sex relationship discovering they are brothers has gone viral.

According to one website, the two men were horrified to learn they could not be in a relationship any long as they are, in fact, related.

It’s claimed Jason Osbourne and Alex Brown had been “lovers” until a DNA test revealed the pair are actually twin brothers.

The story has been shares some 32,000 times on Facebook, with individual posts getting as many as 500 likes.

But is the story actually true?

The article, published by World Daily News on 26 September, quotes Jason as saying: “We did the tests partly as a joke and to shut up some of our friends who were constantly teasing us about being cousins.

“Never did I expect to learn we were in fact long lost twins.”

“The man that I expected to spend my life with, my soul mate, is in fact my twin brother. I don’t know if I have to cry or to jump with joy,” it claims Jason says, while “in tears”.

The story continues to quote Jason, adding: “First I learn that my gay lover is my twin brother, now I learn I was adopted and that my parents have lied to me all my life.

“What a heck of way to celebrate my 25th birthday.

“Sometimes I wish we had never gone for that DNA test.”

The story has been a huge viral success, with many of those sharing it believing the story to be true.

However it turns out it is entirely made up.

World Daily News is listed online as a satirical news publication which invents viral stories rather than reports reality.

Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of readers have been duped by the article.

The truth can also be seen in its ‘trending now’ section, which includes stories claiming a man died after eating 37 condoms at an orgy.

Its own disclaimer page writes: “All characters appearing in the articles in this website – even those based on real people – are entirely fictional and any resemblance between them and any persons, living, dead, or undead is purely a miracle.”