Former reality TV personalities and current 5th-grade teachers Abby and Brittany Hensel (conjoined twins) recently cut a wedding cake. Abby, the conjoined twin on the left side, wed Josh Bowling, a nurse and United States Army veteran, in 2021.
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They reside in Minnesota, the birthplace and hometown of the Hensel twins. The sisters both teach fifth grade in Minnesota, according to public records obtained by the Today Show.
The sisters garnered widespread recognition following their appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996. The Hensel twins later became the focus of the TLC reality series Abby and Brittany, where viewers saw them driving and adventuring in Europe.
After the show concluded its first season, Abby and Brittany completed their college education, both earning degrees in education.
Abby and Josh had kept their marriage private until 2023, when they unveiled photos of their wedding ceremony on their TikTok account, @abbyandbrittanyhensel.
A 20-second video shared on Heidi Bowling’s Facebook shows the couple dancing and sharing a kiss during the wedding reception. Abby and her sister donned matching all-white, sleeveless bridal gowns while Bowling sported a stylish grey suit.
Conjoined Twins Abby and Brittany Hensel Have Expressed Wanting to Have Children in the Past
Abby and Brittany are conjoined twins with dicephalous anatomy, sharing a bloodstream and all organs below the waist. Abby commands their right arm and leg, while Brittany commands the left.
In 1990, when Abby and Brittany entered the world, their parents, Patty and Mike Hensel, opted out of separation surgery, citing its high risks.
Medical professionals back then expressed doubts about the twins’ chances of survival if the operation were attempted. Around one in every 200,000 live births lead to conjoined twins, with approximately 70% being female.
In the 2003 documentary Joined for Life, Patty Hensel mentioned that her daughters expressed an interest in having children in the future. “That is probably something that could work because those organs do work for them,” Patty speculated at the time.
“Yeah, we’re going to be moms,” Brittany insisted back then. “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.”
However, the couple may not be in a hurry to have children together. According to the Daily Mail, Abby’s husband already has a child from a previous relationship.