Jessa Duggar thanks sister Jill for being 'great example' of 'what it means to be a loving wife'

Jill, who is a year older than Jessa, was seen posing with her sister on the photo and showing her baby bump.  Jill got married to Derick Dillard in June and the couple are expecting their first child, a baby boy, in March.

Newlywed Jessa was married to Ben Seewald on 1 November but there have been rumours of rivalry and jealousy between the sisters since then.

Jessa poured cold water on those rumours over Christmas, openly expressing her admiration and love for her sibling in an Instagram post.

"So thankful for this sweet girl! Jill, you're such an amazing example to me of what it means to be a loving wife! I love you so much!! So blessed to call you my sister," she said of Jill.

The public display of admiration should silence the persistent rumours of conflict between the siblings, whose lives have been constantly compared to one another in the media, from the size of their homes, to their weddings and pregnancies.

Josh Duggar, their brother, this week posted a photo on Twitter that showed the sisters happy together. The photo was of himself together with his wife, the Seewalds, the Dillards, and parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar going out on a quadruple date.

Jill recently posted a double date photo of her and her husband with Jessa and Ben over at their place for dinner before attending their parents' annual Christmas celebration at the Duggar family home.

Fans are looking forward to Season 9 of the "19 Kids and Counting" series which will include the nuptials of Ben & Jessa Seewald. The new season will premiere on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 on TLC.