Abby Hensel, Brittany Hensel and Josh Bowling. Heidi Bowling/Facebook
Joshua Bowling, the husband of conjoined twin Abby Hensel, has been cleared in a paternity case regarding his ex-wife’s 3-year-old daughter.
Bowling, 34, married Hensel, who shares a body with twin sister Brittany, in 2021, a year after his divorce from ex-wife Annica. He and Annica, who married in 2010, share joint custody of an 8-year-old daughter, according to court documents obtained by the New York Post.
Shortly after their split, Annica gave birth to a daughter, whose paternity has been contested since Annica filed the suit in 2023.
A paternity test showed that the father is actually a man named Gavin Vatnsdal, his lawyer confirmed to the Post. Vatnsdal’s attorney, Gregory Seamon, told a Minnesota district court on Friday, April 19, “It’s not Mr. Bowling’s child. It’s my client’s child.”
“I think all the parties agree that Mr. Vatnsdal should be the adjudicated father and Mr. Bowling should be discharged and taken off the birth certificate,” Judge Siv Mjanger agreed. “I can grant that motion.”
Abby and Brittany, both 34, are no strangers to the public eye, first appearing on TV in 1996. They later starred in Abby & Brittany, a TLC reality show, in 2012. The twins are now fifth-grade teachers in their native Minnesota.
The sisters are dicephalus conjoined twins, meaning they share a single body, with one genital system, two arms, two hearts and two legs. They also share a bloodstream and organs below the waist. Abby controls the right arm and leg, while Brittany controls the left. They had the option to undergo surgery to separate, but their parents opted against it due to the risk of one child not surviving.
Joshua is a nurse and Army veteran, who married Abby in a secret ceremony in 2021. News of the wedding wasn’t made public until this March when the twins shared photos of the ceremony via TikTok.
When news broke, the twins shared a video calling out their critics.
“The internet is extra LOUD today,” they captioned a clip showing photos of historical sculptures of conjoined twins. “We have always been around ❤️#abbyandbrittanyhensel #happy #love #lovestory #marriage.”
They followed that up with a video zooming in on a picture of the two of them standing next to Bowling, captioned, “This is for all you haters out there. If you don’t like what I do but watch everything I’m doing — you’re still a fan.”
