A Colorado couple, married for 17 years and parents to 3 children, got the shock of a lifetime after taking a DNA test to learn more about their family tree.
Couple takes DNA test: Finds out they’re cousins
Celina Quinones, a realtor from Colorado, shared a TikTok video in which she stated that she and her husband, Joseph, who have been married since July 2006, recently took a DNA test to learn more about their family tree.
The couple has had three children together: two sons, ages 15 and 13, and a 10-year-old daughter.
Although they have been married for seventeen years, it was about seven years ago that the pair decided to take a MyHeritage DNA test, People reported.
“I ordered the DNA tests,” Celina explained. “They came in, and sure enough, we did our swabs, put them in the mail, and off they went.”
“Then we got the results back, and I searched the family tree DNA – another part of the search ,” Celina continued. “And saw him [her husband] pop up there. And I go, ‘Oh no.'”
Couple says they are staying together
After getting the test results back revealing she and her husband were cousins, Celina admitted she began doubting whether she and Joseph should remain together, Yahoo News reported.
“I was in shock,” Selena recalls. “I was a little depressed over it, to be honest.”
“But this was after we already had three kids, and all of them were healthy,” Celina continued, jokingly remarking: “they have 10 fingers, 10 toes. But it was just a shock.”
“Joseph was like, ‘Babe, don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal. Just brush it off,'” Celina added. “I was like, ‘Should we get a divorce? Are we even supposed to be together?'”
“I started rethinking,” Celina confessed. “And then after a while, I was like, ‘Nope, we’re just staying together.’ There’s nothing we can do about it. I’m not going to let some blood come between us.”
Celina wrote a book about her life called The Dream Catcher’s Keeper and states she is not sure to what degree she and her husband are related. The DNA test indicated they are somewhere between second and seventh cousins. That means the closest relative they could potentially have in common would be a great-grandparent.
Some people say the couple should split – What do you think?
In a later follow-up TikTok, Celina said she is not sure but believes she and her husband are 4th or 5th cousins.
Celina said the reactions to her video from people have been mixed so far.
“There’s a lot of negative comments,” Celina said. “It’s horrible.”
“People keep asking, ‘Why would you do that?'” Celina continued. “Why would you post this?'”
“But I take everything with a grain of salt,” Celina clarified. “I’m a realtor, so I’m used to getting badgered all the time, so I’m like, ah, it’s nothing.”
Shake off the shame: Recent research shows cousin marriages not as dangerous as believed
Back in 2009, the New York Times wrote an article on the subject of cousins married entitled “Shaking Off The Shame.” The writer of the piece, Sarah Kershaw, pointed out numerous reasons why the stigma and the shame around cousin marriages need to end.
Recent research has shown that the detrimental effects of cousins marrying, such as deformed offspring, is a myth. The risk of defects increases by no more than a couple of percentage points, roughly equivalent to the dangers of a woman over 40 carrying a baby.
Historically, cousin marriages were practiced by indigenous cultures in North America, South America, Australia, and Polynesia. Worldwide, more than 10 percent of marriages are between first or second cousins.
