Hgtv’s Egypt Sherrod And Mike Jackson Share Their Relationship Rules

Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson know what it takes to have a successful relationship. 

The Married to Real Estate stars, who run their interior design and real estate business together, exclusively revealed their informal rules for a happy home in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.

“When you work together, especially for what we do, it’s almost 24/7,” Jackson, 46, an expert builder, says. “We have to remind ourselves to turn it off before we get in the house, so we can focus on having a good meal or dealing with the kids.” (The couple are parents to daughters Kendall, 13, and Harper, 6, and Jackson is dad to Simone, 23, from a previous relationship.) 

For her part, Sherrod, 48, jokes that she loves to see her hubby in work mode: “As a matter of fact, I want him to leave his tool belt on and come home and fix some things here.” 

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The couple stress that neither partner tries to force the other to be anything other than who they are — a practice that first began when Sherrod and Jackson started dating in 2004. 

“I had been in relationships where I felt like I had to shrink myself because I was too much for the room. My dreams were too big, my voice was too loud,” the interior designer and real estate broker recalls. “This was the first relationship where I felt like my too-muchness is exactly what he loved. He shows me unconditional love, and that makes me feel comfortable where I can be my absolute best.” 

The HGTV stars, who have been married for nearly 15 years, recognize the need to connect when they can. Sherrod and Jackson often take advantage of
opportunities to steal couple time. “It’s hard for him to get away, so I’ll bring lunch to him,” Sherrod says. “It doesn’t have to be grand; it doesn’t have to be a five-star restaurant [or] some experience where we’re swept off somewhere. We’re really practical people.” 

Their other rules include communication, continuing to flirt and “date each other,” and an unexpected living arrangement: separate bedrooms. 

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“We have rediscovered the power of having our own personal space,” Sherrod reveals. “He can go to sleep when he wants, snore as loud as he wants, play whatever he wants on TV. And I can have my candles and my Solfeggio frequencies [to promote body and mind health] playing all night. I can sleep with the fan on without complaint. We love [doing] that and then coming [back] together with a little rat-a-tat-tat.” 

“Laughter is great for relationship longevity,” Sherrod (with Jackson) tells Us. “We’re big on that.” 

Season 4 of Married to Real Estate premiered on Wednesday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET on HGTV. New episodes will be available to stream the next day on Max.