Danielle Busby's Transformation Has Been Stunning
The world was first introduced to Danielle Busby in 2015 when she made headlines for being the first person to give birth to a set of all-girl quintuplets in the United States. She became a household name when she starred in the TLC reality show "OutDaughtered," which followed her and her husband Adam Busby as they raised their six girls while navigating the stresses of everyday life. Viewers watched the newborn quintuplets Ava, Olivia, Hazel, Parker, and Riley grow into toddlers, while eldest daughter Blayke embraced her role as a big sister.
From sweet milestones and family moments to health problems and financial struggles, the show documented all the ups and downs of the Busby household. Viewers related to Danielle for several reasons: her transparency about the struggles of motherhood, her kindness and authenticity, her strong family values, and her sweet relationship with her husband.
So how did Danielle go from an ordinary Southern girl to a wife, mother of six, and reality star who runs a successful YouTube channel and multiple businesses? This is the stunning transformation of Danielle Busby.
She was raised in Louisiana by a single mother
Danielle Busby's life changed drastically when she shot to fame for giving birth to quintuplets, but before she was a reality show star, she led an ordinary life. Busby was born December 23, 1983, in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She was raised by a single mother, Michelle "Mimi" Theriot, and grew up with her twin sisters, Crystal and Ashley. Danielle grew up close with her family, describing her sisters as pillars of support throughout her life. Growing up, she was taught to be a hard worker and started babysitting around the age of 10. She also attended McNeese State University in Lake Charles for her college education.
Before the Busbys got famous, the mom of six worked as an independent beauty technician as well as a project coordinator at AP Networks, an office assistant at Vital Care Medical, and an office manager at Ship to Shore.
She met her future husband Adam while working at Target
Danielle Busby met Adam Busby in 2003 while they were both working at Target. According to her blog post titled "Our Love Story," it took Adam a few months to pluck up the courage to speak to Danielle, and his first words to her were "Hey beautiful." Danielle wrote, "My thoughts at first were... 'Oh, wow! You never talk to me and now you're trying to hit on me... real smooth.'" They spent the next few weeks getting lunch and spending their 15-minute breaks together before Adam finally asked her out. However, their relationship got off to a rocky start — Adam ended up canceling the date to hang out with his friends instead, but luckily, she gave him another chance.
For their first date, Adam invited Danielle to dinner at the Mexican restaurant Casa Mañana. She had no idea it was for his sister's birthday, and that the whole family would be tagging along. Adam even drove her to his parents' house first and left her alone with his family while he got changed. "Now I'm sitting in a house I don't know with his mom, dad, and sister walking in to come talk to me...to question me, ha," she wrote. However, the night ended on a good note. Later that night, Adam asked Danielle to be his girlfriend and she said yes.
She became a Christian when she was 25
Fans of "OutDaughtered" know that Danielle Busby's Christian faith is a huge part of her life. The mother of six often references God on the show, in her blog posts, and on social media. She thanks him for the blessings in her life and views any challenges she faces as learning lessons sent by him. She's a devoted member of the One Life Church in her area and has sent her daughter Blayke to church camp.
That's why fans might be surprised to learn that she only became a Christian when she was 25 years old. "I first started to understand that I needed to surrender my life to Jesus when I was in my early 20s. It took me a few years to get over the 'fear' of what that would do to my life if I accepted Jesus and what it actually meant to surrender," she wrote on her blog It's a Buzz World. It took Danielle hitting a low point in her life to finally overcome that fear. "I was broken.... I was lost.... I felt empty and unworthy," she wrote. While it wasn't an overnight change, she finally felt at peace.
Danielle Busby got married in 2006
While dating, Danielle Busby fell in love with Adam Busby because of their shared joy for children. After two and a half years together, Adam proposed to Busby on Christmas Eve, the day after her birthday. According to Danielle, Adam was acting strange because of his nerves, and she was completely surprised by the proposal.
The couple tied the knot on July 22, 2006, in their hometown of Lake Charles. "Our wedding was kept small, but boy oh boy was it a challenging one to plan," Danielle told Country Living. "This was right after Hurricane Rita wiped out Lake Charles and pretty much every venue was damaged. But we were able to find a little chapel to get married in."
When the couple celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in 2021, it was apparent they were still very much in love. "I can't believe the life I get to live with you, Buzz," read part of Danielle's sweet Instagram tribute. "As I look back through some of these pictures, I am in awe over the things we have gotten to do, places we have been able to travel to, and most of all the beautiful girls God has given us." As fans of the show know, Danielle and Adam Busby's relationship is based on teamwork, respect, and effective communication, and has been able to survive the stress and pressure of raising six children.
She struggled with infertility
Danielle Busby may be the mother to a whopping six children, but it was not an easy road to motherhood. In a blog post titled "Infertility Journey," Danielle detailed her struggles to get pregnant. "Adam [Busby] and I both adore kids and we never ever imagined WE would have issues," she wrote. After six months of trying to conceive, Danielle sought medical help. She was told by her doctor that she didn't ovulate regularly, and Adam's testosterone, sperm count, and motility were low, which meant it would be difficult for the couple to pregnant.
The doctor recommended the couple try to conceive through intrauterine insemination (IUI). They both started taking a drug called Clomid to boost Adam's sperm count and help Danielle ovulate regularly. The couple went through 5 cycles of IUI without success. Danielle described the process as "costly, time-consuming, and stressful," admitting it put a lot of pressure on her marriage. "Infertility struggles was one of the hardest phases of my life," she told Country Living.
Despite how difficult the process was, the reality star believes everything happens for a reason. "We will never understand why we may struggle through parts of our life, but I do believe there is always good that will come from a struggle," Danielle told Country Living. "We just have to push our pride aside and not control the uncontrollable things."
She gave birth to her first child in 2011
After five unsuccessful rounds of IUI, Danielle Busby's doctor took her off Clomid and put her on a different drug called Femara. It worked — Danielle underwent her sixth round of IUI and finally fell pregnant after two years of trying.
In her blog post titled "Princess Blayke," Danielle described the joyous moment she took a pregnancy test and received a positive result. "I start screaming...I am shaking like crazy!" she wrote. She rushed into the other room to tell Adam Busby the good news. "I showed him the stick and said, "It's POSITIVE!!" His face....excited, shocked, scared, thrilled, nervous!" A few weeks later the couple went for their first ultrasound. "Something so blurry never looked so beautiful," she wrote. "We finally received our answered prayers! God is so good!"
Her daughter Blayke Louise was born on April 5th, 2011. Danielle described meeting her daughter as "love at first sight," writing that she finally understood the instant, unconditional love that mothers talk about. When Blayke was 11 years old, she decided to get baptized. "I feel so honored to be her Mama. It brings so much joy to my heart!!" Danielle wrote on Instagram. "Blayke, I pray you continue to SHINE YOUR LIGHT to all those around you, that you continue to seek His word and grow stronger in your faith, and never forget that Jesus loves you for who you are, ALWAYS!"
In 2015, she gave birth to quintuplets
When Danielle Busby wanted to fall pregnant again, she knew it wouldn't be easy. She started on Femara again and had another IUI procedure, which was successful. The mom got more than she prayed for. Not only was she pregnant again, but she was pregnant with a whopping five children. "Adam is about to pass out and I am laughing!" Danielle wrote about the ultrasound in her blog post "Infertility Journey."
On April 8, 2015, Danielle made history as the first person to give birth to a set of all-girl quintuplets in the U.S. Olivia, Ava, Hazel, Parker, and Riley were delivered by a C-section at just 28 weeks old, requiring them to remain in a NICU for two months until they were strong enough to go home. The babies were also born with heart murmurs, which can be treated with medication.
According to Danielle, the excitement of finally bringing her babies home outweighed the fear of having to raise five newborns at once. "My little heart is so full of joy and excitement that I think the 'reality' of having five babies home hasn't really 'scared' me," the mom of six wrote in a blog post titled "Sinking In..." She added, "There is nothing more that we want than to have our big 'ol family.. all EIGHT of us.. together under one roof .... one small roof that is, lol." Luckily, a number of the couple's family and friends had volunteered to help out.
In 2016, she starred in the TLC show OutDaughtered
Shortly after falling pregnant with quintuplets, Danielle Busby started a YouTube channel to document her family life. Her first video, "Busby Quints Gender Reveal," was posted in January 2015 and shows her daughter opening boxes to find out the sex of each baby. Danielle continued to post videos about her life as a mother of six, and her channel became so popular that TLC created a reality show about the family, called "OutDaughtered."
"OutDaughtered" premiered on May 10, 2016, and followed Danielle and Adam Busby as they navigated the challenges of raising six daughters. Viewers got a front-row seat to the joy and mayhem of the Busby household, including sweet milestones and growing pains. Fans saw it all: potty training, birthday parties, sibling rivalry, moving houses, and trips to Hawaii.
The show is an honest portrayal of what it takes to raise a large family. Danielle and Adam lay it all out there and they don't make it look easy. They show how difficult it is to balance their family lives and career goals and they're open about their financial struggles. "It will always be a challenge to balance six kids and make sure they each get one-on-one time," the mom told Country Living. "The most difficult part of having a large family is just the logistics of doing anything and everything. It takes some thought to do everything from cooking dinner to getting out of the house."
She's opened up multiple businesses
Being a mom of six is a full-time job in itself, but that hasn't stopped Danielle Busby from opening up multiple businesses. In 2016, she and her husband Adam Busby decided to open up a cycle studio called Rush Cycle in League City with some of their close friends. While they no longer own Rush Cycle, she is still running an affordable family clothing boutique called Graeson Bee. According to the store's website, Greason was a name Danielle and Adam were reserving for one of the quintuplets, had one of them been a boy. The business is a family effort – Adam is in charge of the photography, while Danielle and her children model the clothing.
Busby also opened up a fitness brand called CADi Fitness with her sisters Crystal and Ashley. Inspired by their shared love of fitness, the sisters sold athleisure wear like workout tops and leggings intending to make women of all sizes feel comfortable in their own skin. The name of the brand was made up of the first letters of the three sister's names on their birth order. In January 2023, Danielle announced she and her sisters would be parting ways with the brand. "We've had to realign & prioritize our personal and business responsibilities and ultimately we don't have the capacity to focus on maintaining and growing CADi Fitness at this time in our lives," she wrote on Instagram.
She was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder
In November 2020, Danielle Busby's husband Adam Busby shared an alarming update on Instagram. "Currently in the ER running tests for some alarming sensations in her arms and legs. It just happened rather quickly today," he wrote, alongside a picture of his wife lying in a hospital bed. A few months later, Danielle opened up about battling a mystery illness, after visiting a cardiologist, rheumatologist, and gastroenterologist for a diagnosis, but to no avail. "I would just get out of breath or I couldn't keep up," she told Us Weekly. "I have constant pain in my neck and my back. Constant migraines, a lot of nerve-ish feelings."
In July 2023, Danielle spoke to Us Weekly again about her autoimmune disorder, saying that she was diagnosed with migraines and being treated for fibromyalgia. She's still trying to find out the underlying issue, and some days are worse than others. As someone who was always in shape, it's been hard for Busby to adjust to her new life. "I used to not be able to get upstairs without feeling like I was gonna pass out," she said. "That's just not a norm for me. I was always athletic and kind of fit and we've always taken care of ourselves. So for my body to go so down, it just was alarming."
At the time of the interview, Busby was happy to report that she hadn't had a migraine in six months.
In 2021, she celebrated her postpartum body
In April 2021, Danielle Busby posted a mirror selfie celebrating her post-partum body while acknowledging her insecurities. "Guess what Mamas? We all have our own "I don't like this about my body" especially after having kids... SOOOO can us Mamas just accept it and let THAT be ok ??" she began the Instagram post. In the image, Danielle is wearing a sports bra showing off her impressive ab muscles, while clutching onto some loose skin.
The mom described how she treasures her "postpartum markers" as they remind her of the miracle of her pregnancy, but added that fitness is still an important part of her life. "I accept that my body will never what it was before kids, BUT I will still try my best to dedicate time to bettering my body for my health," she wrote. The comment section was flooded with messages of support, with fans remarking on how incredible she looks after having six children and wondering how Danielle Busby stays in shape.
Danielle also shared an empowering message for other mothers, calling on them to embrace their postpartum bodies. "Let us love our bodies no matter what it looks like or how it changes," she wrote. "The best you, is the healthiest you...no matter the extra skin, new scars or extra weight."
Danielle Busby returned to our screens in 2023
In 2021, the pandemic forced the Busbys to take a step back from their reality show. "Filming a season of our show usually takes anywhere from three months to six months, tops — but during Covid, it dragged on for the better part of a year. It just started to weigh on the kids, and us," Adam Busby told Today.com. Luckily for fans of "OutDaughtered", Danielle Busby and her family returned to our screens in July 2023 after a two-year break. Danielle and Adam became executive producers of the show and gave their children the power to choose when they want to be filmed.
A lot changed for the mother of six; Season 9 shows her grappling with the challenges of running Graeson Bee Boutique while Adam takes on more household and parental responsibilities. "It's growing pains with the storefront opening and having six kids," Danielle said in the season 9 trailer. "As hard as it is for me to not be at home, it also is important to be growing this business," she added. Season 9 also showed Danielle butting heads with her husband, who accused her of being a control freak. The final episode showed Danielle trying to incorporate fitness back into her routine. There's no word when Season 10 will air, but Adam confirmed to a fan on Instagram that the Busby family will indeed be back for another season.