NZ Herald

29 Mar, 2024 02:20 AM3 mins to read

Conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel, who became famous after sharing a sneak peek into their lives in an American reality TV series, are no longer a duo, but a trio.

Abby and Brittany Hensel - Figure 1
Photo New Zealand Herald

It has been revealed that Abby, who is on the left, wed Josh Bowling in 2021. Bowling, a nurse and US Army veteran, lives with the twins in Minnesota where they were born, reports The New York Post.

Abby and Brittany, 34, have kept their lives private and low-key since their eight-episode series Abby & Brittany hit screens in 2012. The women live happy lives and even have jobs that they enjoy.

The Today Show not only obtained marriage records for Abby and Bowling, confirming the lovebirds’ wedding, but also revealed the twins are both fifth-grade teachers.

Abby and Bowling kept news of their marriage away from the public until 2023 when they shared pictures on social media of their wedding ceremony.

One of the wedding invitees shared a clip that showed a sweet moment between the newlyweds on their big day on Facebook. In the video, posted on Heidi Bowling’s account, Bowling and Abby are seen dancing and kissing at the wedding.

The couple revealed photos of their wedding celebration in 2023. Photo / Facebook

Abby and her sister donned a white sleeveless gown with a laced-up back, while Bowling scrubbed up nicely in a grey suit.

Abby and Brittany Hensel - Figure 2
Photo New Zealand Herald

Bowling can be seen staring into his wife’s eyes while Brittany supports her twin during the dance.

The sisters first appeared in the spotlight when they featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996. In the episode, they revealed what it was like living with a conjoined twin.

The Hensel twins were born as dicephalous conjoined twins, a rare condition when two heads are on a single body with one genital system, two, three or four arms, two hearts and two legs.

The sisters share a bloodstream as well as all organs below the waist. Abby has control over their right arm and leg and Brittany has control over the left side.

The twins’ parents decided not to go through with their separation at birth as doctors revealed there was a small chance that both of them would survive the surgery, according to Today.

“How could you pick between the two?” their dad, Mike, said, in a 2001 interview with Time Magazine.

While they haven’t had the easiest time adjusting to life as conjoined twins, they haven’t let small setbacks stop them from achieving their dreams, such as passing their driver’s licence test at 16, graduating from university, travelling around Europe and becoming teachers.

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