Conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel are being praised for candid beach photo of them proudly posing in bikinis – as image resurfaces after shocking secret wedding news
Conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel have been praised for a “beautiful” bikini photo from 2015 after the image resurfaced in the wake of Abby’s shocking revelation that she secretly tied the knot in a 2021 wedding ceremony.
The 34-year-old twins, born with a rare condition called dicephalic parapagus, glow in the beach photo; they both grin in a green and pink bikini with their arm around an unnamed friend.
They simply captioned the post: “Summer,” with a sun emoji.
Fans flooded the photo with comments, praising the women for their cheerful photo; Many congratulate Abby on her marriage.
Fans have praised conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel after a bikini photo of the pair with a friend resurfaced
Last week, news hit the internet that Abby, 34, had tied the knot with nurse and Army veteran Josh, 33, in 2021.
‘Congratulations with your wedding! Wish you luck,” one user wrote.
“Wow, you look so beautiful,” said another.
‘I know this is a photo from several years ago, but I had never seen it. You three girls looked great!’ sounded another.
“What an example of love and strength, you both inspire me to keep going every day,” another fan wrote.
One fan simply stated, “You two are beautiful girls.”
News of the marriage first emerged last week when it was revealed that Abby had married nurse and army veteran Josh Bowling, 33, three years ago.
Abby’s relationship with father-of-one Josh was unknown until last month, when old footage and snaps from the ceremony shared on their Facebook account at the time resurfaced.
For the big day, the sisters — who both work as fifth-grade math teachers at a Minnesota elementary school — wore a sleeveless wedding dress with lace detailing, while the groom wore a gray suit.
Abby’s relationship with father-of-one Josh had flown under the radar until last month, when old images and snaps from the ceremony shared on their Facebook account at the time resurfaced
Conjoined twins Abby Hensel (left) and Brittany (center) are one of the few sets of dicephalus twins in history to survive infancy. They are pictured with Abby’s husband Josh Bowling (right)
Fans flooded the photo with comments, praising the women for their cheerful photo; Many congratulate Abby on her marriage
After news of Abby and Josh’s wedding went viral, the sisters posted a TikTok video in response to their “haters.”
“This is a message to all the haters out there,” they captioned a photo of them with Josh.
“If you don’t like what I do, but look at everything I do, you’re still a fan.”
They also shared images of ancient sculptures featuring conjoined twins, adding, “The internet is extra LOUD these days. We’ve always been there.’
Abby and Brittany are one of the few dicephalus twins in history to survive infancy. They first rose to fame on their eponymous TLC show in 2012, which chronicled some of their major life events, including their high school graduation and job search.
The females share all their organs down to the waist, including the intestines, bladder and reproductive organs.
They have two spines (which meet at the pelvis), two hearts, two esophagus, two stomachs, three kidneys, two gall bladders, four lungs (two of which are connected), one liver, one rib cage, a shared circulatory system and partially shared nervous systems.
The twins, who have their own birth certificate and passport, were raised Christian by their parents, a nurse and a carpenter.
When they were born on March 7, 1990, doctors warned their parents Patty and Mike that they were unlikely to survive the night. But that prediction would turn out to be completely wrong.
Abby’s relationship with Josh had flown under the radar until last month, when old snaps from the ceremony shared on Facebook at the time resurfaced. The sisters are seen at the wedding
The females share all their organs down to the waist, including the intestines, bladder and reproductive organs. They are pictured here with Josh
Abby and Brittany first captivated the world in 1996 when they appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show (seen) and on the cover of Life Magazine
Abby and Brittany’s story first gained worldwide attention after they appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and on the cover of Life Magazine in 1996.
The women then retreated from the public eye for a few years and the TLC show shot them back into the spotlight. But since then they have led a quiet life.
Each twin has control of one side of the body, with Abby controlling the right side and Brittany the left, according to the BBC.
Although the pair share many organs, they experience separate hunger and separate urges to urinate and sleep. Their nervous systems are also different.
Time reported that when Abby is tickled on her side, Brittany cannot feel it (except along a narrow area on their backs where they appear to share the sensation).
They can do most things that an unconnected person can do, including driving and cooking, and they can also do things like play the piano and play sports.
Last week it was revealed that Abby’s husband Josh had been sued in a paternity suit by his ex-wife, Annica Bowling, who he split from for just two years before marrying the famous conjoined twins.
Court records viewed by DailyMail.com show that Annica filed the charges against Josh and another man named Gavin Vatnsdal.
Josh and Annica married in 2010 and then separated in 2019, according to court records. They currently share custody of their eight-year-old daughter Isabella.
Josh and Annica’s divorce was finalized on April 23, 2020, with Annica having another child later that year, referred to in court documents as “Isabella’s half-sister.”
It is unclear which child is being tested for paternity, but a genetic test report was filed with the court on March 7 and is not available to the public.