A Colorado couple learned they are cousins after taking a DNA test to learn more about their family tree and history. They have been married for ten years and have three children together.
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Celina Quinones went on TikTok to reveal her discovery, and the video currently has 4.4 million views since it was posted in March. The realtor met her husband, Joseph Quinones, in 2005, and the couple got married a few months later, but their families didn’t suspect anything that they were related to each other, as reported by PEOPLE. Prior to their relationship, the couple said they didn’t see each other at family functions such as family reunions, funerals, weddings, and other events.
@realestatemommas #CapCut ♬ original sound – The Qs (Realtor & Writer)
“We ended up having our wedding, and even then, our grandmas seemed to be a lot alike, and they got along, but still, nothing clicked,” Celina told the outlet. However, she learned more after creating a family tree on the website MyHeritage and ordering DNA tests. “I ordered the DNA tests. 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 — and saw him pop up there. And I go, ‘Oh no,'” she recalled.
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After receiving the results, Celina said she questioned everything and even considered ending the marriage after learning Joseph was her cousin. She also experienced some depression but stated the discovery was made after the couple had their three children, two sons aged 15 and 13, and their 10-year-old daughter.
However, Joseph expressed a different sentiment, said it “wasn’t a big deal,” and told Celina not to worry about it.
“Joseph was like, ‘Babe, don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal. Just brush it off.’ I was like, ‘Should we get a divorce? Are we even supposed to be together?’ I started rethinking … 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.”
The DNA test didn’t fully disclose where on the blood they are related, but it says they could be between second to seventh cousins. Celina says she’s putting a pause on her family tree for now but hopes she can learn more about her ancestry that brings her and Joseph closer together.
She is also glad she went through the experience but didn’t expect her TikTok video to go viral: “I feel a little more free. Like, it is what it is. There are people that love no matter what or who, so why can’t I love my cousin by accident?”
The odds of a couple being related depend on factors such as their ethnic background, cultural norms, and geographical location. Generally, the likelihood of a couple being related decreases as the distance between their common ancestor increases.