"Fixer Upper" stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have responded to rumors they decided to end their hit HGTV show because of marital issues.
"For us, the most important thing in the world is Jo and I's relationship, followed by the well-being of these four kids and we didn't want to push and red line it so far that one day we woke up and realized, we're at the point of no return," Chip told TODAY anchor Savannah Guthrie. "So we wanted to take a step back and focus on the thing that is the most important thing in the world, which is Jo and our relationship."
"We are as healthy as we've ever been but I just didn't want to keep continue pushing this envelope to the fullest extent. We are very thankful that we had the opportunity to step back and take a break," Chip added.
Last month, the Christian couple announced they decided to end "Fixer Upper" after five successful seasons.
"We've kind of all grown together, I feel like, with the audience. They've come alongside with us," Joanna said. "But on the other side I feel like there's so much encouragement, even though it was sad, I feel like they also get it. We have this young, growing family and I just think that's one of the biggest reasons we wanted it to end."
Chip said that while it may look easy on the big screen, it was actually very difficult to be working on the home renovation show all the time.
"Nobody knows when you get into something like this! When we got into this, because I'm an idiot, I thought this was a get rich quick scheme, so I was like sweet! I thought I could work eight hours a month, but unfortunately, it's not quite that easy," he said. "The emotion and the amount of energy it takes to pull something like this together, I can't speak on anybody else's behalf, but for Jo and I, every day we showed up to work, we wanted to be the real deal."
This is not the first time the popular HGTV duo has been forced to address divorce rumors; in August, Chip responded to a fan's Twitter post addressing rumors he and Joanna were splitting.
"I'm so sick of these 'stories' claiming @joannagaines and @chippergaines breaking up. Leave this couple alone they are wonderful together," Twitter user @Liason_TRTN wrote.
Chip responded minutes later, saying: "Won't ever happen..you can take that to the bank! #LoveOfMyLife."
Earlier this year, Jo begged her fans not to believe everything they read.
"So many things are happening right now and it feels like we are moving at the speed of light," she said. "At times, it's even hard to keep our own parents in the loop. At this point in our career we can honestly say, we've heard it all - from reports of us moving our family to Vegas to us having more or less children than we actually have."
Joanna said that at the end of the day, she and Chip have "learned it's impossible to control all the information that's out there."
She encouraged those who want to know what's going on to follow her and Chip's social media accounts (find those here, here and here), sign up for their newsletter, and keep up with their blog.
"These are the spots where we'll tell you about our new partnerships, projects, and even personal new," she wrote. "Always remember: if you're reading big, exciting news about us, and we did not confirm it on our official sites, then proceed with caution."
