Chip Gaines Was ‘Like a Dog Chasing His Tail’ Before Joanna Gaines ‘Grounded’ Him
Magnolia Network icon Chip Gaines once revealed that before he met his wife Joanna Gaines, he was “like a dog chasing his tail” or a wild horse that needed to settle. Keep reading to learn more about their relationship, what he was like before they met, and how he taught her to find more joy.
How Chip Gaines courted Joanna Gaines before they married
Chip revealed that he knew of Joanna before she knew of him. Her dad owned a tire business in Waco, Texas, and Chip spotted her in a family photo. “Her dad made the mistake of putting a pic of the family behind the counter at his shop,” he explained to PopSugar. “I knew I’d marry her one day just by the picture on the wall.”
After seeing Joanna in action in a commercial for the shop, Chip was enamored. “My buddies used to always joke that no one could get their brakes done as often as I got my brakes done,” he told KWTX (per Country Living).
But he once disclosed that their marriage wouldn’t have happened if things had gone as planned with an ex. He intended to marry another woman but arguably overdid it on grand gestures. Fortunately, in the end, that heartbreak left him open and ready to meet his future bride.
Chip Gaines was like a ‘dog chasing his tail’ or a wild horse before Joanna Gaines
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey on OWN, Chip explained how he was running in circles before he met Joanna. “For me, I was, like, chasing my tail,” he described. “I was like a dog chasing his tail in a circle, trying to be all the things for all the people.”
He shared that he was once “such an idiot” and “so anxious and so excitable” that his dad used to tell him that talking to him was like trying to drink from a fire hydrant. “I was always that kind of energy,” he offered.
“She grounded me, and it’s almost like the dog then saw the tennis ball, or whatever, and calmed down,” he added. Now, he said he owes Joanna his life.
Chip told Winfrey he’ll still thank Joanna when he’s on his deathbed for helping to rid him of “anxiety-inducing” characteristics and settling him down, like “a horse that’s wild.”
Chip Gaines reminds Joanna Gaines to ‘find the joy’ in every moment
When Joanna told Winfrey how Chip changed her for the better, she confessed she’s “more operational” and can “click into a robotic mode” sometimes. As a result, she tends to “do the thing and forget the why.”
Though Joanna might sometimes “forget to find the joy in that moment,” Chip questions why she does anything that doesn’t bring joy. “Chip is always teaching me if you’re not having fun, if you’re not enjoying and savoring these moments, then why are you doing it? And he also pushes me to do it,” she explained.
The couple married in 2003 and Chip once said they’ll never split. “Divorce or leaving one another is not really an option for us,” he told Access Hollywood. “… That little foundation has definitely served us well because things have definitely been challenging.”
“We’re not perfect and we have issues and trials and errors just like anybody …,” he offered, but added, “We’re in it forever.”
