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<\/p>\nWHEN it comes to finding love we all know it\u2019s important to have things in common.<\/p>\n
But in Celina Quinones case she had more in common with her husband than she first thought.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
After saying \u2018I do\u2019 to husband Joe in 2005 the pair did an at home DNA test and discovered they were related.<\/p>\n
Despite the shocking revelation the couple remain happily married, raising their three kids. <\/p>\n
Now Celina is sharing her story with Fabulous as part of our new series My Life\u2019s a Soap in which we talk to people whose lives could be plotlines in your favourite shows.<\/p>\n
Celina and Joe\u2019s relationship started out like any other typical love story when they were introduced at a friend\u2019s party.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI noticed a handsome stranger across the room.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew his name was Joseph and he was the brother of my best friend\u2019s boyfriend.<\/p>\n \u201cMy friend introduced us and we got chatting, by the time we left we had arranged a date.\u201d<\/p>\n While the pair had hit off initially, life got in the way and eventually they lost touch.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n However, two years later her best friend surprised her by organising a double date with Celina, then 20, and Joe, 26.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe were having a blast at a bowling alley,\u201d Celina said. \u201cMid-game, Joe, turned to me and asked if I would kiss him if he got a strike so I agreed.<\/p>\n \u201cLo and behold, he knocked all the pins down on his next go.<\/p>\n \u201cWe leant in for our first kiss and I fell for him instantly.\u201d<\/p>\n The pair became a couple and many were quick to remark on how similar they were.<\/p>\n \u201cFriends would jokingly ask if we were sure we weren\u2019t related," she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI just took our physical similarities as another sign that Joe and I were soul mates.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it seems that I was right as three months later, he took me to the park near my childhood home.<\/p>\n We were two peas in a pod and people even told us we looked alike<\/p>\n \u201cSuddenly, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I agreed, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cHe later told me he\u2019d asked my dad for my hand in marriage first which meant a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Eager to get their married life underway the couple had their wedding just a few months later.<\/p>\n In the years that followed they welcomed three children; two boys followed by a girl.<\/p>\n But while Celina remained blissfully happy with her family she longed to know more about her and Joe\u2019s Native American heritage.<\/p>\n \u201cOne day, I decided to look into it because I\u2019d been putting it off too long,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI found a bundle deal for two types of DNA tests in one.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they arrived, I swabbed the inside of my cheek, following the instructions.<\/p>\n "I posted it back and in the meantime, I created an online account so I could access my results.<\/p>\n Two months later Celina\u2019s DNA test results came back.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI excitedly logged in and I couldn\u2019t believe how many distant cousins I had,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they didn\u2019t all have my surname, I decided to narrow the search down.<\/p>\n \u201cI typed in my surname, Quinones, and pressed enter.<\/p>\n \u201cThen I spotted a name that stopped me in my tracks – it was Joseph Quinones.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt the blood drain from my face. My husband is my cousin, I realised in horror.\u201d<\/p>\n Celina rushed to show Joe the results and initially he refused to believe what he was seeing.<\/p>\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t want to believe it and went into denial,\u201d Celina said. \u201cI didn\u2019t blame him, because I was finding it hard to accept too.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter some digging, I found out we were either third, fourth or fifth cousins.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were connected through the paternal side of my family.<\/p>\n \u201cNo wonder we looked alike.\u201d<\/p>\n Celina admits that the results of the DNA test had an impact on their relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the days went on, I found it hard to look at Joe the same way,\u201d she admits. \u201cIt broke my heart, because he was still the love of my life.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d been married for 10 years, but now I wondered whether we had to break up as I wondered whether it was wrong for us to be together.<\/p>\n \u201cSoon, it all became too much and I was diagnosed with depression.\u201d<\/p>\n Celina was concerned not only about her romantic relationship with Joe but about her children\u2019s future.<\/p>\n She explains: \u201cBecause of our shared DNA, I started to worry that our kids would have health issues.<\/p>\n \u201cI took them to the GP to be checked over who explained that they had no underlying health conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a weight off my mind, but I worried how I would explain it to them.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were four, seven and eight so I decided to wait until they were older.\u201d<\/p>\n While Celina could put off telling her kids, she had to tell her parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs we weren\u2019t first cousins my mum wasn\u2019t concerned,\u201d Celina says.<\/p>\n \u201cBut my dad refused to believe it and insisted on doing a DNA test himself.<\/p>\n \u201cSure enough Joe was on his family tree too.<\/p>\n \u201cI also told my best friend, who found the funny side, but I was too embarrassed to tell anyone else.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt like a dirty secret and I was petrified of what people would say.\u201d<\/p>\n But ignoring the issue continued to take its toll on the couple.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe and I tried to act like everything was normal, we rarely even mentioned it,\u201d Celina says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t being as affectionate with each other and I knew it was because we were battling confusion over our relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe was trying to sweep it all under the rug, but I was constantly worried.<\/p>\n \u201cHe flat-out refused to even consider divorce, it wasn\u2019t what either of us wanted so we carried on living as normally as we could, but it was always on my mind.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo years later, I got chatting to Joe about a cousin of mine. He pointed out that he was his cousin too.<\/p>\n \u201cFinally, he accepted that we were related.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom then on, we started to come to terms with it and we agreed that if we loved each other why should we end our marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n Celina admits that it took them a long time but eventually they got back on track with their relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cWith a lot of communication and understanding, we worked through it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cEventually, we saw the funny side – we\u2019d never be rid of each other even if we did break up because we were family anyway!<\/p>\n \u201cWhen our sons were 10 and 11, I sat them down to explain everything.<\/p>\n \u201cOur daughter was only seven, so I decided not to tell her yet.<\/p>\n \u201cI tried to explain as best I could.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew the most important thing was that they could see how much their parents loved each other.\u201d<\/p>\n After sharing her news with her kids, Celina decided she wanted to be public about their relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cEventually, I was tired of being embarrassed and ashamed, instead, I focused on the positives of our relationship,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cOne day, I took the plunge and revealed our secret to the world by posting a video on TikTok.<\/p>\n \u201cI received lots of messages of support. Of course, we got a few nasty comments, but we chose to ignore them.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m still trying to find out how exactly Joe and I are related, because our family tree is complicated.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom all the DNA sites I\u2019ve scoured, my guess is we share a great, great grandparent.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though we both still struggle to wrap our heads around it, our love for each other is unbreakable.<\/p>\n \u201cI recently told my daughter everything when she turned 10.<\/p>\n \u201cShe and the boys have been so understanding.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have a loving, stable home and we\u2019re not going to let a test result ruin that.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/newspress-collage-24494071-1698068890927.jpg\")
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