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Chip & Joanna Gaines Reveal Secret to Their Happy Marriage
Chip and Joanna Gaines have been happily married for 22 years and continue to thrive in their relationship. The former HGTV stars shared the secret of their successful marriage — even though Chip admitted it can be “awkward.”
Chip & Joanna Gaines Have a Great Way to Keep the Spark Alive
In a July 2025 interview for People‘s special edition “Chip & Joanna Gaines: Their Next Chapter,” the couple revealed how they keep the spark alive in their marriage.
Trying new things together is a big part of their successful relationship. “What we’ve realized in 22 years of marriage … is we still feel like newbies,” Joanna explained. “Anytime you unlock a new thing, and you do it together, it only grows your relationship.”
One new activity they tackled together was dance lessons. Joanna explained, “I hired this couple; they came to our office and taught us how to dance.”
Chip said of the experience, “Just she and I with this couple. You talk about awkward.”
Joanna further shared that the dance lessons have allowed them to see new sides of one another. “You see insecurities, you see strengths, and it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s a new awakening,’” she explained.
While they discovered they aren’t the most talented dancers, they still had fun anyway. “Chip’s little feet trying to keep up! And then I’m stiff as a board,” Joanna told People. “We’re just so bad.”
Chip noted that he also has an “awkward thing” where his ankle “wants to kick itself out.”
He continued, “All this time I thought I was the coolest two-stepper. Back in college you’d go to these little dive bars, and you danced with the girls. For this [dance teacher] to be calling me out, for Jo to be laughing hysterically the whole time, I’m like, ‘What is happening?’”
Their Dance Lessons Provided a ‘Sweet Reminder’
Dancing has also provided a new way for the couple to connect.
“[When we started] we didn’t know how to hold our hands. It’s hard to make eye contact with even your best friend and wife of 22 years. It feels really strange, awkward,” Chip explained. “But then after two or three weeks, we started looking forward to those lessons.”
He added, “It was this sweet reminder that all of us could use refreshes and challenges in our relationships.”
Joanna noted that dancing “is the most symbolic way of talking about, as a couple, ‘How do you stay in sync in life?’”
She explained, “We do really good in real life, we have our rhythm. But with dancing we were so off, it was surprising. We’ve done everything else so well, but this we totally suck at! But it was beautiful.”
