The Duggar family on 19 Kids and Counting quickly embraced Derick Dillard, but viewers are just getting to know the man who married reality star Jill Duggar.
In the new episode of the hit TLC series, viewers will learn more about Derick, his family and how he and Jill began their life together, and we have an exclusive first look at the revealing episode complete with adorable childhood pictures of Derick, his little brother Dan and their parents.
Derick's father, police officer Rick, passed away when Derick was in his first year of college. "It was very unexpected," Derick says in the video above. "He went to sleep last night and he didn't wake up the next morning. I really knew that God was in control and just leaned on my faith and him to strengthen me and because I knew that was the only place I could gain true strength."
Derick started doing mission work after college and that's how he became acquainted with the Duggar clan. Jim Bob Duggar became Derick's prayer partner and for Jim Bob, he knew Derick was the perfect guy for his daughter Jill. But the patriarch didn't immediately set the two up. It was over a year and a half before Jim Bob introduced Derick to Jill.
"When we first started talking, I thought, ‘Wow, this girl is pretty great. She has a solid faith, she has a great head on her shoulders, she knows what she wants.' I just thought it'd be really great to get to know her better," Derick says.
The rest? 19 Kids and Counting history. The two wed on Saturday, June 21 after getting engaged in late March. The couple recently revealed they're having a boy.
19 Kids and Counting airs Tuesdays, 9 p.m. on TLC.