We know Michelle Duggar as the matriarch of the 19 Kids and Counting family. She's been very upfront about her religious beliefs and her desire for as many kids as God will allow her. She's very modest and raises her kids to be as well, but that wasn't always the case.
It wasn't until Michelle met Jim Bob that she started to fall into his strict religious ways. Though she was a Christian, she was not as devout as her now husband.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are Independent Baptist Christians, though there have been allegations that their religion is more like a cult.
But what did she look like before the TV show, and before the religion?
High School
Even though she now refuses to wear pants, or skirts that go above the knee, Michelle was a cheerleader in high school, which is apparently what drew Jim Bob to her in the first place. She was a cheerleader and also a Christian, which "ticked all the boxes" for him.
Married Life
Jim Bob and Michelle didn't have to follow the same rules their kids did...they were allowed physical contact before marriage! The two wed when they were still teenagers, but clearly their love has kept them alive.
In 1984 they tied the knot, just two kids young and in love!
Despite their free-spirited relationship, something happened that sent them into religion for good.
Birth Control
Though they are adamantly against birth control now, Michelle and Jim Bob were using some form of contraception early in their marriage. After the birth of their son Josh, Michelle became pregnant, but unfortunately miscarried the baby. To this day, she blames the birth control for the loss of her child.
That miscarriage triggered their decision to never use birth control again, leaving their pregnancies up to God.
"We named that baby Caleb even though we didn't know if it was a boy or girl because that miscarriage was early," she says. "We will name this child and will know that we will see those children again someday in heaven."
The kids all follow the same rules as their parents now, and they're bringing those into their own families as well.