A total twist! Bachelorette alum Ali Fedotowsky “didn’t even know” she had a sister until recently — and she shared the “crazy” story of how they met with her followers after a family reunion.
“The story of my sister ❤️,” the former reality star, 37, captioned an Instagram slideshow on Tuesday, June 21, alongside several photos of herself and her sister Tonya in Nashville. “We had the absolute best few days with my sister @tgloria0612 , her husband Sonny, and my two nephews. All people that I didn’t even know existed just one year ago. So many of you asked me how we found each other so I wanted to give you the story.”
The Massachusetts native explained that she was curious about her family tree, especially when it came to her grandmother Molly. “My [daughter] Molly is named after her and she meant so much to me so I decided to do a DNA test to learn more about her,” Fedotowsky wrote. “I was not looking for a family member because I assumed I knew all my immediate family members. In fact, I was so focused on learning about my grandma that I didn’t even notice that in my results a person popped up under ‘Close relative.’ … I told myself I’d come back to it and just forgot.”
However, the former E! correspondent wasn’t the one family member who was digging into their history. “Well it turns out that Tonya had also taken a DNA test and she got alerted to the fact that she matched with me,” she continued. “She opened it up and read that a close relative meant that I was her grandma, aunt, or half sibling. It was pretty clear that I wasn’t her grandmother or aunt so half sibling was the only option. Crazy right?!?!”
While Fedotowsky admitted that this was only “a very Cliffs Notes version of the story,” she reflected on bonding with her sibling over the past year. “Essentially she Googled my name and a bunch of bachelorette nonsense popped up. Ha! Then she reached out to my dad and they connected and then he connected us,” the Home and Family star wrote. “It’s been the biggest blessing ever! I took the test and never looking for a sister or expecting to find one. But oh my gosh I’m so glad I did!”
Fedotowsky praised Tonya for being “funny, laid-back [and] down to earth,” teasing, “Even if she wasn’t my sibling I’d want to be her friend.”
The family photos showed Fedotowsky’s children — Molly, 5, and Riley, 4, whom she shares with husband Kevin Manno — bonding with their cousins, aunt and uncle. In one sweet shot, the relatives all pulled funny faces for the camera.
Since her Bachelorette journey in 2010, the broadcaster has been candid about her personal life with her fans. In January 2020, the former ABC personality opened up about being diagnosed with skin cancer. “I think spreading awareness is the biggest thing,” she told Us Weekly later that year. “I have this platform I’m talking to you right now when people are watching this. I have this platform to spread awareness and potentially save lives, help people. I just, I feel fortunate that I’m in a position to do that.”
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Scroll down to see Fedotowsky bonding with her long-lost sister:
