Conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel, who first gained national attention when they appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 1996, have recently made headlines again. Abby, now 34, of Minnesota, married Josh Bowling, 33, a nurse and Army veteran in 2021, according to public records obtained by Today.
The couple kept their marriage a secret until recently, with a clip of Abby’s wedding day being posted on the twins’ TikTok account. A Facebook account titled Britt And Abby also shared a photo of the happy couple.
When Abby and Brittany were born in 1990, their parents decided not to undergo separation surgery because of the risks involved. Doctors at the time said there was little chance of survival for either twin if separated. In a documentary filmed when the girls were teenagers, their mother expressed their desire to have children one day, as their shared organs could potentially allow for it.
Abby’s relationship with Josh has remained under the radar for the past decade, with the twins leading a quieter life out of the spotlight. They have always shut down speculation about their private lives, but have expressed their desire to have families of their own.
Only one set of twins in every 40,000 are born connected in any way to each other, and only 1 percent of them survive beyond the first year. Abby and Brittany Hensel’s journey as conjoined twins navigating life is a unique and remarkable story that continues to fascinate many.