A couple’s marriage was turned upside down when they learned of their family connection – but despite the circumstances, they’ve decided to stick together for the sake of their children
A woman who was happily married to her husband of 10 years felt “sick to the stomach” when she realised things weren’t as they seemed.
Celina, 37 met her husband Joseph, 44, at a Halloween party 17 years ago. The couple have been together ever since and have three children together. But have recently found out the shocking news that they’re in fact blood relatives.
They said they had “no suspicion whatsoever” that there was a chance they could be related, but found out the truth after Joseph decided to do a DNA test to find out more about his heritage.
“When I realised that we were cousins, I was a little sick to my stomach”, Celina told Love Don’t Judge and said Joesph was in complete denial at first. However, when he looked at the data, he realised the truth. It confirmed they were third to fifth cousins, and this shocking dark secret made the couple question whether they should be together.
Celina explained: “I thought we were supposed to get divorced, but then I started thinking that for our children, we need to stay together,” and called it a “pivotal moment” as “you’re not supposed to be with your cousin, but it happened that way”. While Joeseph said, he truly meant it when he vowed ‘Till death do us part’ on their wedding day, and didn’t want to leave Celina.
The couple revealed when they told their children the news, they were “confused” and “freaked out” but have come to terms with it and “accept it”. Their daughter explained: “It’s kind of normal because they’re my parents, and they’ve been married a long time,” while their son said: “Sometimes I feel a bit weird about it, because it’s not something you want to brag about.”
He further said that if his parents had known before they got married, it would be been “wrong” but as it was after they were married he said he doesn’t see a problem. As Celina shared her story online, she has faced a wave of negative comments, with people calling it “disturbing” and others saying they feel “bad” for the children. Joseph said these comments “upset” him but tries to not let it impact his family.
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