When conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel were born in Minnesota in 1990, their parents were told they wouldn’t live long past birth.
However, the Hensel sisters, now 34, defied the odds, enjoying an extraordinary life, romantic relationships, and this month, they sparked pregnancy rumours with a cryptic message posted on TikTok.
In 1996, the twins, who were born with a rare condition called dicephalic parapagus, captivated the world with their remarkable story after appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the cover of Life Magazine.
Abby and her sister Brittany, one of only a few sets of dicephalus twins in history to survive infancy, rose to fame on their eponymous TLC show that chronicled their major life events, including high school graduation and job hunting.
This year, the pair were back in the spotlight after it emerged that Abby secretly married nurse and Army veteran Josh Bowling in 2021, according to public records obtained by Today, which made her stepmother to Josh’s daughter, Isabella.
Now, the conjoined twins have sparked pregnancy rumours after sharing an unusual video on social media – a happening that the pair’s mother previously predicted in a documentary.
But when the Hensel twins were born on March 7, 1990, doctors warned their parents, Patty, a registered nurse, and Mike, a carpenter and landscaper, that they were unlikely to survive the night.
It was a claim proved wildly wrong. From starring in their reality TV show to forming relationships, Abby and Brittany have achieved an incredible amount in the past 34 years. Now, as the pair spark pregnancy rumors, Femail explores their romantic life…
Despite medics telling their parents they wouldn’t live long past birth, conjoined twins Brittany and Abby Hensel from Minnesota have defied all odds and enjoyed a fulfilling life, with the pair recently sparking pregnancy rumours (pictured Abby and Brittany with Abby’s husband, Josh Bowling)
The Hensel twins are the rarest form of conjoined twins, the result of a single fertilised egg failing to fully separate in the womb.
They have two spines (which join at the pelvis), two hearts, two oesophagi, two stomachs, three kidneys, two gall bladders, four lungs (two of which are joined), one liver, one ribcage, a shared circulatory system, and partially shared nervous systems.
From the waist down, all organs, including the intestine, bladder, and reproductive organs, are shared.
Although Brittany – the left twin – can’t feel anything on the right side of the body and Abigail – the right twin – can’t feel anything on her left, instinctively their limbs move as if coordinated by one person, even when typing e-mails on the computer.
Just one set of twins in every 40,000 is born connected in some way to each other and only one per cent of those survive beyond the first year.
The twins, who have their own birth certificates and passports, were raised Christian by their parents, a nurse and a carpenter and are now fifth grade math teachers at an elementary school in New Brighton, Minnesota, where they were born and raised.
Abby married army veteran Josh, who served as an Army medic with the 1st Cavalry in Iraq and Afghanistan, in 2021
The pair first captured the world’s attention after appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the cover of Life Magazine in 1996
From starring in their own reality TV show to completing university and becoming teachers, the twins have achieved an incredible amount
Before the pair became seriously romantically involved with anyone, their mother revealed that they were keen to have children of their own one day.
Patty explained in a documentary: ‘[It] is probably something that could work because those organs do work for them.’
‘Yeah, we’re going to be moms,’ Brittany agreed.
In another interview, Brittany reiterated their desire to have families of their own, saying: ‘The whole world doesn’t need to know who we are seeing, what we are doing and when we are going to do it.
‘But believe me, we are totally different people.’
In a 2001 interview with Time, the twins’ father Mike said his daughters had already then asked about finding husbands one day.
Knowing that other conjoined twins have married, he explained, why not? ‘They’re good-looking girls. They’re witty. They’ve got everything going for them, except they’re together,’ he added.
He was right, and Abby’s relationship with Josh, who is a father-of-one, became public in March this year, when they announced their wedding.
On TikTok account @abbyandbrittanyhensel, a clip revealed insight into Abby’s wedding day – and a Facebook account titled Britt And Abby also featured a picture of the happy couple.
For the ceremony, the twins sported a sleeveless wedding dress with lace trim detailing while the groom wore a grey suit.
A video thought to have been captured by one of their guests and shared on social media showed the twins and the groom enjoying a dance during the big day.
Another showed Josh’s daughter sporting a floral bridesmaid’s dress and walking down the aisle, holding a sign that read: ‘Daddy… Here Comes Your Bride’.
It’s likely the father-of-one, who works with hospice patients, and the twins live with one another, with Josh’s Facebook page showing the family – including his young daughter – enjoying hikes in nature, ice cream and dressing up for Halloween.
Josh served as an Army medic with the 1st Cavalry in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune.
He told the publication in 2021: ‘I dealt with a lot of death and dying – the bad version of it’.
The father-of-one added that becoming a nurse ‘felt like a calling’ because he wanted to give people a peaceful death, as opposed to those he witnessed at war.
While Abby and Joshua made their relationship public, Brittany has kept her romantic life out of the spotlight.
However, Abby and Josh have now sparked pregnancy rumours after posting a clip on their TikTok account, which has over 303,000 followers.
The video, which has garnered over 36,000 views, shared a series of ‘breaking news’ headlines.
Each headline read something different, with the most notable being, ‘This is so tragic’ and ‘What if one of them dies?’
The twins display an astonishing sense of co-ordination, with each using one arm to perform tasks, including playing the piano and sport
The girls passed their driving test on their 16th birthday, with each twin using one arm to control the steering wheel
The twins’ mother Patty (pictured right) encouraged her daughters to develop their own individuality
The Hensels are believed to be one of only a few sets of dicephalus twins in history to survive infancy, and have gone on to have an extraordinary lives with their own TV show
The final headline revealed: ‘Married and baby on the way.’
The 30-second clip, which was shared without a caption, left fans questioning if the twins were pregnant.
Even as teenagers they spoke about wanting to have children.
‘People have been curious about us since we were born, for obvious reasons,’ the twins said in the first episode of their eight-part series, according to ABC News.
They continued: ‘But our parents never let us use that as an excuse. We were raised to believe we could do anything we wanted to do.’
After seeing the TikTok clip, fans took to the comment section to congratulate the pair, with one person saying: ‘Congratulations on the upcoming baby announcement!’
Another user commented: ‘Congratulations!’
A third wrote: ‘Congratulations on being pregnant. You will make great mums.’
The 30-second TikTok clip, which was shared without a caption, left fans questioning if the twins had a baby on the way
Just days before their rumored pregnancy announcement, the twins shared sweet snaps of life with Abby’s husband, Josh.
The Minnesota-based twins also took to the platform to urge their followers to go vote.
In their caption, the 34-year-old sisters penned a reminder to their fans: ‘Don’t forget to #vote!’
Their post also included never-before-seen photos from Abby’s secret wedding to the army veteran.
Photographs from their nuptials saw the sisters modeling a beautiful wedding dress and posing with Abby’s husband.