US couple discover they are cousins after 10 years of marriage

A US married couple with three children made a shock discovery after taking a DNA test to learn more about their family tree.

A US married couple have spoken out since discovering they are cousins after taking a family tree DNA test.

Last month, Colorado real estate agent Celina Quinones made headlines when she revealed on TikTok that she is related to her husband of 17 years, Joseph.

“Married my husband in 2006,” the mum wrote in her video tell-all.

“Not thinking anything of it, we have three kids. Come to find out we were related and cousins.”

The video has been viewed over 4.4 million times and met with mixed reactions.

“Girl, that’s disgusting,” said a disapproving viewer.

“Bro this could’ve been a secret,” another said, suggesting that Ms Quinones may have been wise to keep her unconventional family ties off of social media.

“My literal jaw dropped. I rebuke this,” wrote another user.

“Y’all even look alike. How did y’all not know?” one questioned.

Celina Quinones revealed that she married her cousin. Picture: realestatemommas/TikTok

The TikTok video has been viewed over 4.4 million times. Picture: realestatemommas/TikTok

In an interview with People, Ms Quinones said the clip received a lot of negative comments.

“It’s horrible,” she told the outlet. “People keep asking, ‘Why would you do that? Why would you post this?’

“But I take everything with a grain of salt. I’m a realtor, so I’m used to getting badgered all the time, so I’m like, ah, it’s nothing.”

Celina and Joseph married in July 2006 and though their families met then, the couple had no idea they were related.

“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,” she said.

“We didn’t think about it. I never saw her at family reunions, funerals, or weddings,” her husband added.

The pair made the surprise discovery 10 years into their marriage when Ms Quinones decided to dig into her family tree. She took a DNA test through MyHeritage.com.

“I ordered the DNA tests,” she said. “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.’”

The pair made the discovery 10 years into their marriage. Picture: realestatemommas/TikTok

Ms Quinones told People that after reading the results she had doubts about whether she and Joseph should stay together.

“I was in shock. I was a little depressed over it, to be honest,” she said.

“But this was after we already had three kids, and all of them were healthy.”

The duo share two sons, aged 15 and 13, and a 10-year-old daughter.

“They have 10 fingers, 10 toes, but it was just a shock,” Ms Quinones continued.

“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.”

While Ms Quinones doesn’t know to what degree she and Joseph are related, the DNA test indicated they are between second to seventh cousins.

She said the closest relative they could potentially have in common would be a great-grandparent.

The couple share three children. Picture: realestatemommas/TikTok

Since her discovery, Ms Quinones has put researching her family tree on hold.

She told People she hopes to eventually learn about the ancestry that connects her and Joseph.

When asked by the publication why she decided to share her discovery on TikTok, Celina said she thought at the time it would be “funny.”

“I didn’t think anything of it,” she said. “I didn’t think it would go this viral.”

Ms Quinones told the magazine she was glad she posted the video.

“I feel a little more free,” she said.

“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?”

– with NY Post