Overnight Popularity
Their pictures were constantly getting likes. Comments would flood in from friends and family, and occasionally even strangers. Needless to say, they were popular. But one picture stood out from the rest and would become a massive hit overnight- reaching the eyes of more than just their close friends.
Their pictures were taken up by magazine and news websites to be shared with the world. What made this photo stand out? Why was it the topic of everyone's conversation? It was only when they checked the comments that it all made sense.
College Sweethearts
Wendy Joseph and Dan Hennessey weren't always the huge Internet Stars they are now. They even recall the days when social media was barely a blip on their radar. However, by a funny coincidence, it played a big role in how their love and success story began.
It all started back when they were young college students in 2006. They both had no idea that the other existed, but that wouldn't stop them from crossing paths in the most peculiar way.
The Beginning Of Facebook
At the time, Dan was 18 years old and a sophomore studying Exercise Science. Wendy was 17 years old, had recently graduated from high school, and couldn't wait to start her career in public healthcare. Dan was quite an extrovert and loved partying and meeting new people. With this in mind, it didn't take him long to learn about Facebook.
Back then, the social network was merely a sprout of what it would come to be. It was mainly used by college students looking to date. Dan immediately took a liking to the site.
Stranger Danger
Dan went on Facebook to meet new people and grow his circle of friends. One day, he stumbled upon Daphne, a girl with whom he had mutual friends. She didn't reply to the messages he sent her. This didn't bother him much, and he started looking through her friend list. That's when he caught sight of Wendy's profile.
He decided to message her after being smitten with her photos. Wendy, however, was quite cautious of strangers on the Internet at the time. Instead of answering his message, she told her friend Daphne about it. And boy, did she have some things to say about Dan.
Online Friendship
When Daphne told Wendy she wasn't the first he had messaged, she decided not to reply. After a week, he reached out to her yet again. Filled with curiosity, she opened his profile and discovered he knew people she had classmates with in high school.
She finally decided to message back, so an online friendship was born. Dan invited Wendy and her friends to a party at his apartment since he wanted to meet her. There was just one issue...
Party
Dan hadn’t actually planned a party because he didn’t think Wendy would accept his invitation. When she did, he scrambled to notify his friends and put everything together — and he pulled it off.
The night of the party arrived, and the pair hit it off instantly. They chatted, drank, and danced together all night. When all the guests were gone, Wendy was still there hanging out with Dan. There was obvious chemistry between the two… but that didn’t mean things would work out.
A Couple, Maybe?
They decided to stay friends since Wendy had just ended a long-term relationship, and Dan was enjoying his party lifestyle.
In the six months to come, they grew close and finally felt ready to try being a couple. But they were unaware of the trouble that lurked ahead.
Hard Work
Wendy thought her love life was blooming and started focusing her attention on other spheres of her life. While Dan resumed socializing and partying with friends, she concentrated on her studies.
Years passed, and she didn't get any closer to obtaining her Master's degree. Then, she noticed the message in Dan's inbox that sent her head spinning.
Matured But Not Changed
A tiny seed of doubt was planted in Wendy's mind, and it slowly grew the more time they spent together. Wendy suspiciously watched Dan's friends list grow on his still-active Facebook profile.
He started going out without her shortly after she began declining invites due to her needing to study. One thing was clear: Dan had matured but still loved to party.
Consumed By Worry
Despite how innocent the message seemed, Wendy felt consumed by it as the day wore on. Dan had left his inbox open after forgetting to log out of his Facebook profile. Wendy noticed the notification pop-up while going through her coursework.
She felt herself hesitate, but her curiosity bested her. Her stomach was tied in knots when she saw it was from one of Dan's numerous female friends.
She Couldn’t Help Herself
Wendy couldn’t help herself. She found herself going through all of Dan’s messages. Although she couldn’t find any incriminating evidence against him, she did find a lot of messages from other women.
To make matters worse, they were all successful, young, and had finished their studies. She felt like a failure. And it wasn’t long before her fears seeped into every aspect of her life.
A Little Voice
What could Wendy do? She felt like her relationship was spiraling beyond her control. Everyday bickers quickly became giant arguments, fuelled by Wendy’s insecurities and Dan’s refusal to compromise.
What if he met someone new? Then, a little voice inside her asked: what if he already had?
The Photograph Explodes
Fast-forward to the present – and the notorious photograph. Wendy’s eyes widened as the “likes” crept past the 60,000 mark. Comments flooded in as the photo was shared thousands of times.
Friends, family, and the general public were determined to have their say. But why had this photograph that Wendy had posted sparked worldwide controversy?
The Right Decision
When Wendy decided to break it off with Dan all those years ago, it had seemed like the logical choice at the time. They had been so young when they had met.
She knew that she had changed a lot in those seven years. Looking at the photograph again, she was sure that it had been the best decision she’d ever made.
Identity Crisis
Wendy looked back on her seven-year relationship with Dan and realized they were far too dependent on each other.
They had both changed so much after they met, and she was beginning to wonder if she even knew who she was without him. She felt like she’d lost herself somewhere along the way during this all-consuming relationship.
Something Had To Be Done
As much as it pained her, Wendy knew that something had to be done about the relationship.
It felt like all they did was bicker about Dan’s partying and Wendy’s studies and they never had time for each other anymore. Neither of them wanted to compromise, either. That’s when Wendy knew what she had to do.
Breaking It Off
Even though it had broken her heart to think of a life without Dan, she knew she had to put her head down and pursue her own interests. She needed to find out what kind of woman she could become.
She went on to eventually receive her Master’s Degree in Public Administration. But staying away from Dan had proved harder than she had imagined.
Not Taking The News Well
Wendy told Dan that – although she loved him – they couldn’t be together anymore. Dan was completely blindsided and couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
He knew they had hit a rocky patch in their relationship, but never in a million years could he see Wendy leaving him and the life they’d built over the last seven years. But Wendy had already made up her mind.
Never Giving Up
Dan hadn’t been happy with Wendy’s decision. He wasn’t ready to give up the love of his life. He messaged her every day for the entire year and a half that they were separated.
Just like in the beginning, he hoped that his persistence would pay off. But Wendy had finally found her calling.
Finding Themselves
Though it was an extremely difficult time and Dan missed Wendy terribly, he eventually realized that she had been right.
He decided to give Wendy the space to focus on her Master’s degree and become the woman she wanted to be – and, in the meanwhile, he would work on himself. Dan left his party lifestyle behind and threw himself into a new project, and Wendy did the same.
Finding Herself
While Dan was making changes, Wendy found herself and started her YouTube channel, Wendy’s Curls, where she posted beauty tutorials and gave hairstyling advice.
She shrugged off her old look and began to embrace her own natural beauty, and her followers couldn’t get enough of it. But then – when she least expected it – fate decided to intervene in her life once more.
A New Woman
One day, the couple bumped into each other again after months of not seeing one another. Dan was amazed at the transformation that Wendy had made.
The strong, confident woman he saw before him made him fall in love with her all over again. But would she take him back? Wendy had her reservations.
A Difficult Time
Wendy had decided to break up with Dan so they could each find themselves and discover who they were as individuals. Though it was a difficult time, she knew it had been the right thing to do.
During that time spent alone, Wendy had become a YouTube star with thousands of followers, and she had her confidence back. But what about Dan? Had he changed?
What Was Going On?
Dan started appearing in Wendy’s YouTube videos and they discovered that fans really liked seeing them together. So they began posting more videos and giving relationship advice or talking about how their lives had been as a couple.
Their fans couldn’t help but speculate whether they had finally gotten back together. But was this the case? What was really going on?
Had He Changed?
Had Dan changed in such a short time? Wendy thought so. He’d been relentless in trying to convince her that they were meant to be together, and he hadn’t dated anybody else during the time they had been apart.
He’d proved that he was in it for the long haul, so she decided to give him another chance. Little did she know, their antics were about to go viral.
Life In The Spotlight
Dan had also created an Instagram account, which quickly amassed over 25,000 followers — although not nearly as many as Wendy’s 105,000. Then, in December 2017, they celebrated their 10th anniversary.
But they had no idea this milestone would become a viral sensation. Here’s where the notorious photo appeared on their Instagram accounts, but neither of them was prepared to be flung into the spotlight.
10-Year Challenge
The premise of the 10-year challenge on social media is for users to post photos of themselves side by side and taken 10 years apart to show how much they’ve changed.
However, this popular throwback challenge only became famous after Dan and Wendy’s post – so, In a way, they invented it. Though it may seem like a normal thing to do, the post exploded for a strange reason. In a matter of weeks, it got over 60,000 likes.
The Throwback
To mark the occasion of their 10th anniversary, Wendy posted a side-by-side picture on her Instagram page. On the left was a picture of them when they first started dating, on the right was a current photo.
It got picked up by major news outlets like The Independent, The Sun, and The Daily Mail. But why had this photo gone so viral? Are you ready to see it?
The Picture Of Youth
Seeing the photos side by side, people couldn’t believe how different Wendy and Dan looked — especially since they appeared much younger now than ten years ago.
“Do you both age in reverse?” asked one commenter. “What fountain of youth are you drinking from?” said another. But, it turns out, there’s a reason for such transformation. They go on to explain exactly how they managed to become so healthy and happy…
“The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me”
Dan posted pictures of him and Wendy and wrote about his feelings about their breakup in a lengthy Instagram story on his account.
“That break up was the most amazing thing that ever happened to us and I can say with 100% confidence THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME PERSONALLY,” he explained.
Grateful
“I am so incredibly grateful for this life and this amazing SOUL that has decided to walk alongside me on this journey. We are people just like you, not perfect or special,” Dan’s post continued.
“What is special, however, is that we have decided to embark on this process of sharing our experiences regardless of what people think.” And the photos speak for themselves…
Fitness Enthusiasts
Even before they met, both Wendy and Dan had a strong interest in health and fitness, which was reflected in their choice of careers.
So it’s no surprise that both of them worked hard on their bodies and tried to become the best versions of themselves during their time apart. But this was just the beginning of something big for the now-famous couple.
Finding Their Audience
When Wendy’s YouTube channel hit it big, they realized going into the fitness space was a natural progression for them.
When they got back together, they started posting workout tutorials and nutrition advice together. But they had a shared vision that was evolving into something much bigger than just a health and fitness YouTube channel.
Making It Into A Business
Together, Dan and Wendy founded True4You Fitness, a fitness coaching company where they give nutrition and exercise advice to their clients.
They also opened a wellness-focused YouTube channel, though once in a while they also talk about their life and relationship. And, in September 2016, they made a huge announcement.
Paris Proposal
In September 2016, Wendy and Dan were on holiday in Paris with a couple of friends. But, the day they visited the Eiffel Tower, Dan had a romantic surprise prepared for Wendy.
In the true spirit of the city of love – and with his friend recording everything – Dan got down on one knee, pulled out a diamond ring, and asked Wendy to marry him!
The Next Phase In Their Lives
Naturally, Wendy said yes. She was so excited that she even forgot which hand the ring should go on. It was like a fairy tale. But the couple’s life was about to become even more magical.
After their trip to Paris and their engagement, Wendy and Dan were not done traveling and living their dream life. They were able to save enough money to do something they’d always wanted: travel abroad for months at a time.
Wanderlust
Dan and Wendy managed to earn enough money from their fitness venture to travel to Thailand, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and many other places.
After returning to the U.S., they went on a domestic trip to Las Vegas and are now busy planning their wedding. But what else does this power couple have planned?
A Big Move
Although both Dan and Wendy are originally from New Jersey, they decided to move to a warmer climate – the tropical paradise of San Diego, California.
With the stunning weather, sun, and surf, this could be the perfect place for the couple to settle down. But what else does this mesmerizing pair have on the cards?
Excited For Life
It’s crazy to think that this couple’s story all began with a friend request on Facebook when the platform was in its infancy.
From Dan’s heartfelt Instagram posts, It’s clear that he is absolutely enthralled with his wife: “It’s amazing how you can spend nearly 11 years getting to know someone and wake up to them every day excited for the chance to know more,” he wrote.
A Modern Love Story
“Even crazier is that it feels like we are just getting started and I’m more in love with you than I have ever been,” Dan’s Instagram post continued.
“Thank you for following your path and being a source of love and light for everyone who gets to meet you. I’m lucky and honored to have met you way back [..] and you are my heaven on earth."
Strength To Strength
The couple’s Instagram and YouTube fitness pages have grown from strength to strength, recently branching out to include a website.
Their main goal is to help people from all over the globe reach their fitness goals and transform their lives — just as they did! After all, the couple who trains together stays together. Wendy and Dan’s story of love and success seems like a dream come true.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.