Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines are putting their marriage first, hence their shocking decision to end HGTV's big hit, Fixer Upper, after its upcoming fifth season.  

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The reality TV couple announced they needed a break from Fixer Upper in September, which prompted rumors their marriage was in trouble.

While Chip and Joanna have insisted that's not the case, they revealed on Tuesday's episode of the Today show that they feared sticking with the show longer could eventually lead to marital issues.

"Look, I'll give [the rumors] a little credence," Chip, 42, said on Today.

"For us, the most important thing in the world is Jo and I's relationship, followed very quickly by these four beautiful kids [of ours]. We didn't want to push it, to redline it for so long that we woke up and realized we are at a point of no return. We wanted to take a step back and focus on what is absolutely the most important thing to us in the world."

The Waco, TX-based couple are parents to Drake, 12, Ella, 11, Duke, 9, and Emmie, 7.

Chip and Joanna have been starring on Fixer Upper since the show premiered with a pilot in May 2013 and began airing its first full season in April 2014.

Chip, recently released his new book titled Capital Gaines, continued on Today, "People in our inner circle, I tell them we're as healthy as we've ever been," referencing his marriage. "I just didn't want to keep pushing this envelope to the fullest extent. We're really thankful that we had the opportunity to step back and take a break."

Season 4 of Fixer Upper just concluded in March 2017, and Season 5 is slated to debut in November of this year.

With the show's end being around the corner, Today's Savannah Guthrie pointed out that many of the couple's loyal fans are devastated or even in despair.

"I get that, because I think we've all grown together," Joanna noted. "The audience has come along with us. But on the other side, there's been a lot of encouragement."

Chip explained how the pair always wanted to be "authentic and sincere" with their experience on Fixer Upper, which probably attracted viewers, but such dedication required a tremendous amount of energy and emotion.

As for whether Chip and Joanna will ever return to television following this hiatus, Chip teased, "Who knows?!"

"We're so excited about this break," he said. "But would we go back and do this again? Absolutely. It was a joy, it was a pleasure."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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