John David Duggar from 'Counting On' is courting Abbie Grace Burnett
'Counting On' star John David Duggar is courting his girlfriend Abbie Grace Burnett as confirmed by the couple themselves. The couple is very much in love and says that they have known each other for many years.
According to Us Weekly, the 28-year-old reality TV star said, "Abbie and I are just so excited, we’ve known of each other for several years. We fell in love very quickly and it’s been a wonderful journey thus far. And it’s been a wonderful journey thus far and taking the next step to move onto a courtship." When asked where their first love bloomed, Abbie shared,"John flew in for a church event here in Oklahoma where I’m from. We really got connected then."
The son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar is courting Abbie Grace Burnett, the family announced on the Duggar website. In a joint statement, the happy parents shared,"We are so excited to announce the courtship of John David and Abbie! John David brings our hearts so much joy and we’ve watched him faithfully pray, wait, and trust God for the right girl to come along! Now, a beautiful relationship has blossomed between the two of them. We can’t wait to see what the Lord will do in the future".
A Duggar family blog post said that the journey to the heart is a "spiritual retreat, initially created for young people but now available for older adults, in which many of the Duggar kids have participated. The goal is to focus, for several days, on the Lord and to discover his Love in a deeper way." Several people commented on the post and many agreed that they had all grown up so fast.
"Thanks so much for posting about these young adult men," one person wrote. "So nice to get an update on something that they are doing. The Duggar kids are getting so grown up!" Another commented, "It's hard to believe how old these guys are getting! If the twins are on the same path as their oldest brother, then they will be getting married in about a year from now. Josh was 20 1/2 when he got married, and they will be 20 1/2 next June!"
The courtship comes at a very exciting time for the Duggar family who will soon be welcoming a baby girl, Jinger Duggar is due to welcome her first child, a baby girl, with husband Jeremy Vuolo.
In the year 2014, the oldest Duggar brother Josh shared with People that the Duggar's "don't date, they court". "A courtship is a path toward marriage". While in the courtship period, the possible partners spend time together with family members who are present to supervise so that the young couple is never alone. At the time, Michelle Duggar said,"Emotions get heated the closer you get. You’re like two magnets being pulled together. You need boundaries."
John David is one of the 19 siblings born to the Baptist couple Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and is an Arkansas constable and an officer with the Tontitown Police Department. He also has a twin sister Jana who is currently single. The show 'Counting On' is a spin-off of 19 kids and counting and was canceled by TLC in the year 2015 due to allegations of child molestation against the eldest son, Josh.
In the year 2015, Josh allegedly molested four of his sisters and his babysitter while his parents did their best to keep the sexual misconduct under wraps. However, a police report that was obtained by InTouch magazine, revealed that he has committed seven acts of sexual molestation. The Duggar parents waited around 16 months before they reported the crime.
The report read, "James said that in March of 2002 [redacted, Josh] who had just turned 14, came to him very upset and crying. James said that [redacted, Josh] had told him that he had been sneaking into [redacted, his sisters’] room at night and had been touching [redacted, his sisters] on the breasts and vaginal areas while they were sleeping." Josh went on to tell his father that this had happened at least four or five times.
After the scandal became public, Josh apologized for his behavior in a statement, "Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends. I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life."
It was not long after this incident that Josh was caught cheating on his wife Anna on the dating website Ashley Madison. He also admitted that he had a porn addiction. In another statement, Josh called himself a hypocrite for living a double life. "I brought hurt and a reproach to my family, close friends and the fans of our show with my actions that happened when I was 14-15 years old, and now I have re-broken their trust," he added. "As I am learning the hard way, we have the freedom to choose to our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences. I deeply regret all hurt I have caused so many by being such a bad example." So much for courting it looks like!