Conjoined twins Abby Hensel and Brittany Hensel’s family got a little bigger when Abby tied the knot with husband Josh Bowling two years ago.
Abby wed Bowling, a United States Army veteran, in a private ceremony in November 2021. At the time, the newlyweds — along with their extended family — shared a series of photos and videos of the wedding, including snapshots from what appeared to be the couple’s first dance.
Since the nuptials, the Hensels and Bowling have made a life for themselves in Minnesota, where the twins work as fifth-grade teachers, according to Today. Bowling’s Facebook page also features happy images of him with the twins enjoying ice cream and traveling together.
Abby and Brittany have long since been candid about their desire to find love and expand their family.
“Yeah, we’re going to be moms,” Abby said in Joined for Life: Abby & Brittany Turn 16 in 2006. “We haven’t thought about how being moms is going to work yet.”
Keep scrolling for what you need to know about Abby Hensel:
Who Is Abby Hensel?
Abby is the left-side conjoined twin to Brittany. After their birth in 1990, their parents, Mike and Patty Hensel, opted against a separation surgery as they were told that it was unlikely both sisters would survive.
The twosome are dicephalous conjoined twins, a rare form of partial twinning with two heads side by side on one torso. They share a bloodstream and all organs below the waist. Abby controls their right arm and leg, while Brittany controls the left.
How Did Abby Hensel Become a Reality TV Star?
Abby and Brittany first appeared on TV in 1996. They landed the documentary Joined for Life, which followed them over the course of one year, in 2006, before appearing on the TV series Extraordinary People in 2007.
In 2008, they starred in the documentary Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16 before appearing in their own reality series with TLC, titled Abby & Brittany, in 2012. The show followed them as they prepared to graduate from Minnesota’s Bethel College and later traveled to Europe.
Does Abby Want to Be a Mom?
Both Abby and Brittany have been open about wanting to be mothers over the years, but have preferred to keep their private lives out of the spotlight in the decade since their reality show wrapped.
“The whole world doesn’t need to know who we are seeing, what we are doing and when we are going to do it,” Brittany said during an interview, per the Daily Mail. “But Believe me, we are totally different people.”
Abby is currently a stepmom to 8-year-old Isabella, Bowling’s daughter from a previous relationship.
What Does Abby Do for a Living?
Both Abby and Brittany are currently working as fifth-grade teachers in Brighton, Minnesota, according to public records. The twins began working in the educational field shortly after graduating college.
“Math and science is kind of my strong point,” Abby explained on an episode of Abby & Brittany. “Where Brittany is more focused on the language arts, reading—stuff like that.”