WHEN TWO BECOME ..THREE
Reality show conjoined twin marries in secret ceremony
CONJOINED twins from a US reality TV show have become a trio after one of them married.
Abby Hensel, 34, tied the knot with Josh Bowling, a nurse and Army veteran.
Abby and her sister Brittany wore an all-white, sleeveless bridal gown and laced-back dress, while Josh wore a grey suit.
The couple married in November 2021 but their news has only now been revealed.
Although Abby and Josh kept their marriage private, pictures of the wedding did emerge last year when they were shared on social media.
His mother’s Facebook page also has photographs and videos, including a clip of Josh and the twins dancing at the reception.
Following their TLC reality series Abby and Brittany, the twins stepped away from the spotlight in 2012, living in Minnesota, where they were born and raised.
The twins have previously talked about wanting to have children.
“Yeah, we’re going to be moms,” Brittany said in the 2003 documentary Joined for Life.
“We haven’t thought about how being moms is going to work yet. But we’re just 16, we don’t need to think about that right now.”
Abby is now a stepmother to Josh’s eight-year-old daughter Isabella Rose from a previous relationship.
Although the twins remain connected at the hip and would physically share in the birth of any biological children, Josh is only technically married to Abby.
The sisters appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996, talking about their lives as conjoined twins.
They were born as dicephalus conjoined twins, a rare condition.
They have two hearts, and share a single body and their organs below the waist, including their reproductive organs.
Abby controls their right arm and leg and Brittany controls the left.
We’re going to be moms. We haven’t thought how it’s going to work yet
BRITTANY HENSEL IN 2003 ON THE PROSPECT OF HAVING KIDS
We understood we would get a single salary as we’re fulfilling the role of one individual
ABBY HENSEL ON THE TWINS’ JOINT SALARY AS JUNIOR SCHOOL TEACHERS
When they were born in 1990, their parents Patty and Mike opted out of separation surgery because doctors said there was a chance they would not both survive.
Mike said: “How could you pick between the two?” During their reality show, viewers watched the twins navigating daily life, such as learning to drive.
In one episode, Abby is seen managing the right side of the steering wheel while Brittany holds on to the left. The twins had to work as a team and communicate as they drove the vehicle.
After graduating from Bethel University in 2012, they began careers as teachers at a junior school.
Both Abby and Brittany gained their own teaching licences, although they still receive a joint salary for teaching the same classes.
“From the outset, we understood that we’d be receiving a single salary because we’re essentially fulfilling the role of one individual,” Abby said.
“However, as we gain experience, we hope to negotiate for adjustments, considering that we hold two degrees and can offer two distinct perspectives or teaching styles.”