Has Anna Duggar finally inspired Josh Duggar to get it together? According to a recent report, Anna’s divorce threat has Josh “flipping out,” and he’s begging his wife of seven years not to walk out on him.
After admitting that he had cheated on Anna and claiming that he was addicted to internet pornography, Josh Duggar checked himself into a faith-based treatment center. This left Anna, a stay-at-home-mom with no job, burdened with the responsibility of taking care of their four children for the next six to eight months. Perhaps this lengthy period of time away from her husband is serving as a trial run for Anna’s future as a single mom.
According to Hollywood Life , Anna Duggar is seriously starting to consider filing for divorce . Even though Josh’s extramarital affair admission could be seen as evidence that he’s not a happily married man, he allegedly wants to stay married to Anna, and he seemingly can’t believe that she’s actually thinking about leaving him.
“When Josh heard that Anna was contemplating divorce, he flipped out,” a source revealed. “He’s been begging her not to leave him. He says he’s determined to change, by the grace of God, and [he’s] working hard to get to that place.”
Unfortunately for the troubled former reality star, communicating with Anna Duggar has been a bit difficult lately. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Josh is currently seeking treatment at the faith-based Reformers Unanimous (RU) facility in Rockford, Illinois. It’s a treatment program that tries to inspire “students” to change their bad habits using a blend of Bible study and labor.
According to the RU website, students at the facility are only allowed two phone calls per week during phase two of their treatment, which is likely the phase Anna’s husband is on. In case you’re wondering why RU uses the term “students” instead of “patients,” the facility’s Facebook page explains that it’s not a rehab center — it’s a “school of discipleship” where students learn how “to live the crucified Christian life.” Students can spend up to eight months in the RU recovery program.
Gawker reports that Josh checked into the Reformers Unanimous facility sometime around August 24, which is when one of the planes owned by his family arrived in Illinois. The RU website says that students get their first visitation after 45 days, which means Anna could have visited her husband sometime earlier this week. Perhaps the couple had a discussion about divorce during her visitation.
A source told Hollywood Life that Anna Duggar is staying with her mother in Florida while her husband is at RU, but Josh’s parents evidently want their fans to think that this isn’t the case. On October 7, a photo was posted on the Duggar Family Official Facebook page that shows Michelle Duggar with Josh and Anna’s baby girl, Meredith. The other baby in the photo is Jill and Derick Dillard’s son, Israel.
It’s possible that the photo above was taken at some point before Anna left for Florida, so it’s not definitive proof that Anna is staying with her in-laws. She hasn’t appeared in any Duggar family photos since Amy Duggar’s September 6 wedding .
According to People , Anna’s brother, Daniel Keller , has expressed his belief that Josh will not come “to true brokenness” until Anna decides to divorce him. Keller thinks that Josh only confessed his extramarital affair and checked into rehab because he was forced to, not because he’s truly interested in changing. However, in his late-August Facebook posts, Daniel Keller revealed that Anna wasn’t ready to give up her husband — she informed her brother that she was “staying where she’s at.” This probably meant that she was living with Josh’s family in Arkansas at the time Daniel shared this information.
It’s possible that Anna changed her mind and decided to move in with her own parents since Keller posted his Facebook comments, but if Anna is at home with her mom and dad, she’s still probably being pressured to stay with Josh. According to Keller, his parents are against divorce because they fear that it would make their family look bad.
If Anna Duggar decides that divorce is her best option, Keller said that he’s willing to let his sister and her kids live with him until things get settled. And according to THV11 , Keller isn’t the only person out there who wants to help Anna ditch Josh — Arkansas attorney William “Zac” White has offered to represent Anna Duggar in divorce court, free of charge.
“I have handled many domestic relations matters in my career, and in my experience, spousal intimidation and the fear of the unknown increases the risk that an individual spouse (whether male or female) may be subjugated to the psychological, emotional, and/or physical abuse of the other,” White said. “Likewise, in my experience this type of environment may pose a greater risk of exposing children to the same type of negative treatment.”
White also told Anna that she shouldn’t feel pressured to stay with Josh because of her family’s patriarchal Christian beliefs.
“In some instances, I have witnessed one spouse’s religious beliefs utilized as a tool of intimidation or abuse against the other spouse. I have no idea that this is the case for Mrs. Duggar, but she should know that there are legal options and resources available (if necessary) that may very well be compatible with her family’s religious views.”
Do you think Anna Duggar should accept this very generous offer? Or would it be a mistake to initiate divorce proceedings while Josh is seeking treatment?
[Featured image via Josh Duggar/Instagram]