Abby Hensel has been in a committed marriage since 2021, though the public only learned of it three years later. In November 2021, Abby wed Josh Bowling in a private ceremony, maintaining a low profile since then.
The Hensel twins gained initial fame when they appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996, and their reality series Abby & Brittany aired on TLC in 2012, showcasing their educational journeys, travels through Europe, and the start of their teaching careers.
The revelation of Abby’s marriage sparked renewed interest in their lives, with TODAY breaking the news in March 2024 based on public records indicating that Abby and Bowling had married three years earlier.
Abby and Brittany Hensel sharing a joyful moment at home
Living in Minnesota, where the twins were born, Abby, Josh, and the Hensels have created a shared life. The twins, known as dicephalus conjoined twins, have two heads but share a torso and some organs below the waist. While the Hensels continue their teaching careers, Bowling is a U.S. Army veteran and a registered nurse.
So, what should you know about Abby Hensel’s husband? After his time in the U.S. Army, he became a registered nurse. Originally from Tennessee, Bowling is a decorated veteran who served as a healthcare specialist, or combat medic, in the U.S. Army.
He was deployed with the 1st Cavalry Division to both Iraq and Afghanistan. After leaving the military, Bowling pursued a nursing career in Minnesota, where he now specializes in hospice care for fellow veterans.
In a 2021 interview with The Minnesota Star Tribune, he reflected, “I dealt with a lot of death and dying — the bad version of it.” His first encounter with hospice care occurred during his nursing training, which he described as a calling. “I was drawn to the idea of providing a peaceful death instead of what I had seen before,” he explained.
The couple exchanged vows in a private ceremony. In 2021, Abby and Josh quietly celebrated their marriage with a small gathering of close family and friends, yet their wedding was only publicly revealed in March 2024.
They later shared moments from their wedding, including their first dance, which went viral on TikTok. Abby also updated her Facebook profile picture to feature a moment from their wedding.
Their wedding dance captured the public’s attention. In June 2024, the twins posted a TikTok showcasing Abby and Bowling’s wedding dance, set to a remix of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.”
In the video, Abby and Brittany swayed side by side, arms around Bowling’s neck, as he placed his hands on their waists. The dance floor was beautifully lit, enhancing the romantic atmosphere.
The video gained over 400,000 views and attracted thousands of comments, with one user expressing, “I’m so happy for her, I’ve watched them since they were babies.”
This June post followed another TikTok shared in May, which featured lovely snapshots from the wedding, including photos of Abby in her bridal gown and moments with Bowling’s daughter. They simply captioned it, “#forever.”
Bowling encountered a paternity suit after marrying Abby. Before his marriage to Abby, Bowling was previously married to Annica Bowling in 2010. Their marriage lasted nine years until they divorced in 2019, during which they welcomed a daughter, Isabella, in 2016.
According to documents obtained by PEOPLE, two years into his marriage to Abby, Annica filed a paternity suit in October 2023 involving him and another man, Gavin Vatnsdal. The suit pertains to Annica’s second daughter, born in 2020 after her divorce from Bowling. Although the child was referred to as “Isabella’s half-sister” in their 2022 divorce documents, she was not named in this suit due to her minor status.
The lawsuit requested that both men undergo DNA testing regarding Annica’s second child, and a genetic test report was filed in March 2024, as noted in court records. The details of the tests and their results remain private. Abby and Bowling lead a private life in Minnesota.
The couple currently enjoys a low-key existence in Minnesota, where Abby and Brittany teach fifth grade. Occasionally, the twins share nostalgic clips from their television days, while Bowling posts photos from his military service. Despite Abby’s marriage drawing renewed attention to their lives, they continue to prioritize their privacy.
In September 2024, Bowling shared a new Facebook profile picture featuring a selfie with Abby and Brittany. The nighttime photo captures them against a backdrop of trees and a house, and they appear to be dressed for cooler weather. This image represents the first public photo Bowling has shared that includes his wife and her sister.
