16 Why the HGTV power couple are putting fame on hold to focus on their marriage and kids.
AT THE PEAK OF THEIR POPULARITY, THE HGTV STARS BOLDLY BACK AWAY FROM THE SPOTLIGHT TO PROTECT THEIR MARRIAGE AND THEIR KIDS
Fixer Upper’s Chip and Joanna Gaines are the king and queen of shocking reveals on their hit home-renovation show, but the duo truly outdid themselves on Sept. 26. “It is with both sadness and expectation that we share the news that Season 5 will be our last,” they announced to their surprised fans. Their decision to walk away from the smash HGTV series that made them stars might seem hasty, but the couple insists that once they decide on something, it’s a done deal. “It’s very important to take other people’s opinions into consideration,” Chip explains, “but in the end it’s your life and your work. I won’t go against my gut.”
And what their instincts are telling them, they say, is they need to “catch our breath for a moment. We have poured our blood, sweat and tears into this show. We would be foolish to think we can go and go and fire on all cylinders and never stop to pause.” So while the show has helped their business (and pockets) expand, it’s also led to unwanted rumors about their marriage that have sent them into protective mode over their four kids: Drake, 12, Ella, 10, Duke, 9, and Emmie, 7. “They earned some time to rest,” Chip’s mom, Gayle Gaines, tells Closer of the Christian couple’s devotion to what they truly value most: faith and family. “They care very much about how their children turn out, and they are very well aware that spending time with them and investing in their lives is important.”
After marrying in 2003, Chip and Joanna’s humble start in Waco, Texas, helped build their strong foundation. “Jo and I were living in an 800-square-foot house and had a brand-new baby to feed,” Chip, 42, recalls of the time around their son Drake’s arrival in 2005, when they didn’t