Chip and Joanna Gaines of the popular HGTV show âFixer Upperâ sat down for a lengthy interview recently as they celebrate two decades of Marriage.
But during the interview, Joanna shocked her affable husband when she disclosed for the first time she knew she would marry him on their first date.
That was in spite of the fact she told People Magazine he was not her type.
The two scheduled a date after Chip saw his then-love interest in a TV commercial for her fatherâs Waco, Texas, auto shop in 2001.
Chip found himself making trips to the shop for work on his car, and he got the opportunity to ask Joanna on a date.
She agreed, and the two went out together.
âI was always attracted to quiet guys, to the guy that you didnât know what he was thinking,â she told People with her husband alongside her. âWhen Chip and I went on our first date, he didnât stop talking! In my mind I was like, âOkay, this isnât going to work. Because he is not quiet, heâs not mysterious. Heâs very just out there.ââ
In spite of her reservations, Joanna said something about him spoke to her deeply.
âThen I heard this voice say, âThis is who youâre going to marry,ââ she said.
Joanna added, âCall it God, call it whatever. âThis is the man youâre going to marry.ââ
While Chip was not the silent type, Joanna said she did appreciate he was a listener â in addition to being a big talker.
âThereâs a big difference in people who hear and listen,â she said. âChip would listen.â
Chip cut in and asked his wife to clarify she actually knew on their initial date she would marry him.
âOn the first date?â he asked.
Joanna insisted she tried to argue with her inner monologue about whether Chip was marriage material.
âI remember seeing him talking, and then I couldnât hear him anymore,â she said. âAnd Iâm arguing with my inner self, saying, âThis is not the person.'â
âWere you really?â Chip responded. âWas it like severe desperation? You were kind of arguing? Sad.â
Both laughed at the comment.
Chip and Joanna scheduled a second date, which was delayed to an injury to Joannaâs back. In the interim, Chip explained he wondered if he would ever see her again.
âWhat is going on with this girl? Iâm done with these games,â he said he told himself. But he was persistent.
A year later, the couple was engaged and the rest is history.
The couple still resides in Waco and they share five children and a successful TV show.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
