90 Day Fiancé: Shekina Garner's life before the show explored 

Before captivating viewers with her whirlwind romance with Turkish fitness trainer Sarper Güven on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way, Shekinah Garner lived a life of remarkable contrasts. The 41-year-old aesthetician from Los Angeles shocked fans when she revealed her unconventional upbringing in an Amish community in Tennessee.

As the oldest of six daughters, Shekinah's journey from modest rural beginnings to glamorous LA aesthetician represents a deliberate rejection of her strict childhood. Her relationship history includes dating significantly older men, being a single mother to 16-year-old Sophie, and even a stint on another reality show.

While viewers have followed her complicated relationship with Sarper—a self-proclaimed former playboy who claims to have been with thousands of women—few know the fascinating backstory that shaped the confident, beauty-obsessed woman who fell for "the most stunning man she had ever seen" while vacationing in Turkey.

90 Day Fiancé star Shekina Garner’s journey to Hollywood

Despite not being Amish by birth, Shekinah's parents adopted the way of life and brought up their children as such. It was apparently especially difficult for someone who is naturally inclined to beauty and self-expression to grow up in Tennessee with such rigid standards on appearance.

As the self-described rebel among her sisters, Shekinah's persistence eventually wore down her parents, leading the family to abandon their Amish lifestyle. This experience profoundly shaped her future choices, contradicting her chosen lifestyle centred around glamour and fashion.

After attending boarding school for her final year and a half of high school—an experience she called a "turning point"—90 Day Fiancé's Shekinah eventually made her way to Los Angeles. What began as a chance move 13 years ago evolved into a complete identity transformation, though she claims to maintain her small-town girl mentality at heart.

As a licensed aesthetician with over 20 years of expertise, she established a prosperous career and currently owns her own beauty company. As a side gig that perfectly fits with her newfound principles, Shekinah augments her income by co-hosting events where she invites attractive people to improve the environment.

Relationships before Sarper

Shekinah's romantic history features a pattern of relationships with older men. At 23, she began her first "real relationship" with Berto, an Italian man 27 years her senior. After a four-year relationship, they had a daughter, Sophie, before they separated shortly after her birth.

Despite living in Costa Rica for nearly a decade, Berto maintains a co-parenting relationship with Shekinah, occasionally visiting their daughter in America. Because of her own favorable experience with that educational paradigm, Shekinah chose to send Sophie to boarding school when she decided to continue her connection with Sarper in Turkey.

Fans might be surprised to learn that 90 Day Fiancé isn't Shekinah's first television appearance. 90 Day Fiancé producers noticed her unique Amish origins when she appeared on season 6 of The Millionaire Matchmaker in 2013.

Shekinah later revealed that she "never dated" Adam Gaynor, the former Matchbox Twenty rhythm guitarist, outside the show. Instead, she began a relationship with another contestant, Rick Silver, that reportedly lasted several years.

After what she called a string of unhealthy relationships, Shekinah was finally alone when she met Sarper on a dating app while on vacation in Turkey. Despite early warning signs, their relationship developed into the complex romance that viewers of 90 Day Fiancé are still following in the show's recent season.

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You can watch 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way on Hulu.

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