Chip and Joanna Gaines say their ‘awkward’ new hobby has reignited their 22-year marriage

After 22 years of marriage, Chip and Joanna Gaines are always looking for ways to keep the spark alive. 

The Magnolia Network stars, who celebrated their wedding anniversary in May, recently opened up about the challenges they often face within their relationship and the “new thing” they tried in an effort to maintain the excitement. 

“What we’ve realized in 22 years of marriage . . . is we still feel like newbies. Anytime you unlock a new thing, and you do it together, it only grows your relationship,” Joanna, 47, told People in a new interview.

CHIP GAINES DOESN’T WANT HIS 5 KIDS TO FOCUS ON SUCCESS AND MISS ‘JOY OF THE JOURNEY’

Chip and Joanna Gaines, pictured in 2021, recently celebrated their 22-year wedding anniversary.  (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM))

“I hired this couple; they came to our office and taught us how to dance,” she continued. 

“Just she and I with this couple. You talk about awkward,” Chip, 50, added. 

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Joanna said the new hobby offered an “awakening” to their marriage. 

The couple said they recently took up dance lessons in an effort to keep things fresh within their marriage.  (Courtesy of The Paley Center For Media)

“You see insecurities, you see strengths, and it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s a new awakening,’” she said. 

“[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. I felt really strange, awkward. But then, after two or three weeks, we started looking forward to those lessons,” Chip said. “It was this sweet reminder that all of us could use refreshes and challenges in our relationships.”

“I feel like dancing is the most symbolic way of talking about, as a couple, ‘How do you stay in sync in life?’ 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,” Joanna added. 

The pair, who share daughters Emmie, 15, and Ella, 18; and sons Crew, 7, Duke, 16, and Drake, 20, opened up about their dynamic in 2023. 

The couple, who created the Magnolia Market empire, has five children. (Nathan Congleton)

CHIP AND JOANNA GAINES’ 20-YEAR MARRIAGE IS ‘SHIFTING’: ‘CHANGE IS HARD’

“It is more fun to be married to a Chip, than a Joanna. So I’m sorry for all those years where I was a bit of a dud,” she jokingly told her husband during an interview with People. 

“You were a stick in the mud for quite some time,” Chip teased. “You’re really starting to catch your second wind.”

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“If Chip weren’t my partner, I would probably still be in the corner. From the moment I met him, he’s always experienced change in a positive way. Even if it was negative, it was, ‘Alright. What do we do next?’” Joanna explained to the outlet. “I would say, as we’re getting older, I’m shifting and I’m more like Chip, and Chip is more like me,” she admitted.