'I took a DNA test to trace my family tree – but I was sickened by the results' – The Mirror US
Celina Quinones took a 23andMe DNA test to trace her family tree, but the results left her feeling ‘sick to her stomach’ as she discovered a shocking truth about her husband
A woman's world was rocked after a 23andMe DNA test to explore her ancestry led her to question her marriage.
Celina and Joseph Quinones, who tied the knot swiftly within four months and share three children, faced an unexpected twist in their family narrative. Celina's quest to understand her lineage began post-parenthood, as she revealed on the Love Don't Judge podcast: "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."
The Colorado couple's curiosity turned to shock when DNA results unveiled they were more than just husband and wife they were cousins.
Celina recounted her initial reaction: "When I realised that we were cousins I was a little sick to my stomach."
Opting to share this personal revelation on TikTok, Celina thought it would be met with humor. Instead, the viral video attracted a deluge of negative attention, something she hadn't anticipated.
"I did not know it was going to blow up that big," she admitted, recalling one particularly harsh comment: "One person on there said 'this is so disturbing, why would you marry your cousin? '".
Celina reveals there was a barrage of similar remarks. One person posted: "They look so much alike, how did they not know? " Another shared their concern: "I feel bad for the kids, hopefully people don't bully them" and yet another expressed embarrassment on behalf of the children.
The couple's teenage son, reflecting on his mum's astonishing find, admitted: "I feel a little bit weird about it, because it's not something you want to brag about or put out to the world or anything."
He also mused, "If they found out before they got married I think there'd be something obviously wrong with that but since they found out after there's there's not one single problem."
At the couple's nuptials, none of their kin recognized each other. It was later unearthed that Joe's grandmother on his father's side had adopted, and due to poor record-keeping, their familial connection went unnoticed.
"Colorado seems so big, but it's really not that big," Celina muses. "Everyone knows everyone, and most likely, everyone is related."
Despite the revelation, the pair went on to launch their own dating service, dubbed Before We Be, aimed at preventing individuals from accidentally dating a relative.
