Former 19 Kids and Counting star Jinger Duggar Vuolo opened up about marriage to her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, revealing he’s the best thing that’s happened to her on her journey.
The mom has been busy with the recent release of her memoir, Becoming Free Indeed, detailing her “cult-like” upbringing in the Duggar family. And she got emotional when talking about her biggest supporter, her “sweet” husband, who helped encourage her to choose her own path.
Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo’s relationship was almost a ‘no-go’
Jeremy Vuolo said he prayed that he and Jinger would become involved in a relationship after meeting her through her sister, Jessa Duggar, and brother-in-law, Ben Seewald.
After a strict courtship, during which Jeremy submitted to a questionnaire from Jim Bob Duggar, they announced their engagement in 2016.
Jinger shared that she remembered returning home from a date with Jeremy and telling her mom, Michelle Duggar, how he made her feel safe. It was part of why she wanted to marry him.
She told Us Weekly, “He wasn’t in our setting, which is just crazy to think about, but he loved, God and he was committed to the word of God and lived his life according to it. And that’s where I found, ‘OK, this guy is an awesome guy.’ It’s exactly what I’ve wanted.”
They wed in the months after their engagement but almost didn’t make it down the aisle. “There was a couple of ups and downs, and there was a moment where it did seem like the relationship was a no-go at that point,” Jeremy told Us Weekly. “I just remember thinking one thing is I can’t give up. I don’t have the faith to give up.”
Jinger Duggar Vuolo said she would still choose her husband Jeremy Vuolo ‘every day’
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jinger talked about how Jeremy was instrumental in her realization that her path could take a different direction than her family. When their unique courtship came up, she gushed, “Every day, I would still choose Jeremy. He is the best thing that’s happened to me.”
She shared, “He is so much fun. He keeps me laughing all the time.”
“He also has just walked alongside me throughout this journey, and it’s not been easy for him, I’m sure, coming into this with all the difficulties I’ve had to walk through,” she added. “There have been really hard days. So, he’s been my number one supporter.”
Jinger shed some tears while talking about Jeremy and confessed reflecting on his place in her life made her emotional. “He’s just so sweet,” she declared.
How Jeremy Vuolo helped Jinger Duggar start her journey away from her family’s beliefs
While speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Jinger explained how Jeremy was very “helpful” in her transition from her childhood upbringing. She said he encouraged her to think for herself instead of what she’d been taught to think and compare the teachings of Bill Gothard, who founded the Duggars’ church, to the “word of God.”
“That started me on the journey of examining the word of God for myself instead of taking one person’s opinion,” she shared.
She explained that her choice to wear pants was a great example of how she interpreted things differently than her parents. However, despite their differences, she wanted to reiterate her love for her family is ongoing, and Becoming Free Indeed is not a “tell-all” about them.
Jinger said the story is her “faith journey,” which she feels responsible for telling because she also promoted Gothard’s teachings. As far as how her family responded, she said their responses varied from excitement to “agree to disagree.”
