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By Lawrence Agbo
A couple, Celina and Joseph Quinones, were left stunned after a DNA test revealed they are related by blood years after getting married and having three children together.
The discovery came after Celina began researching her ancestry to better understand her family heritage, prompted by questions about the differing skin tones and hair textures of their children.
Speaking on the Love Don’t Judge podcast, Celina said she decided to investigate her DNA because she could not clearly explain her family background beyond identifying as Native American.
“I started really diving into my DNA because I wanted to find out my heritage – my daughter is really dark-skinned, and my son has curly hair my middle child is light-skinned, and everyone would ask ‘what are you what are you?’ I couldn’t really give an answer except Native American,” she said.
The results, however, uncovered an unexpected truth — she and her husband were cousins.
Celina admitted the revelation left her shaken and emotionally overwhelmed, saying she felt physically sick and began questioning whether they should remain married.
“When I realised that we were cousins I was a little sick to my stomach, and was thinking, ‘Should we get a divorce? Are we even supposed to be together?”
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Unsure how to process the discovery, she shared their story on TikTok, where the video quickly went viral and attracted millions of views, along with a wave of mixed reactions from shocked viewers.
“I did not know it was going to blow up that big.” She revealed the cruel responses, adding: “One person on there said ‘this is so disturbing, why would you marry your cousin?’
Despite the revelation, the couple later learned that neither side of their family had known of the connection before their marriage.
They traced the confusion to Joseph’s paternal family line, where his father’s grandmother had been adopted, creating gaps in family records that concealed the biological link.
Celina noted that in Colorado, where they are from, overlapping family histories are more common than many realise.
“Colorado seems so big, but it’s really not that big. Everyone knows everyone, and most likely, everyone is related”, Celina said.
In response to their experience, the couple has launched a dating app called Before We Be, designed to help prospective partners identify possible family ties before entering serious relationships.
